Now, it’s Antonio-gate that has the Patriots in new hot water.
From Spy-gate to Deflate-gate to Massage-gate, the New England Patriots seem to stay in the headlines almost as much for off-the-field accusations as on-the-field excellence. And now they’re back in the soup for a superstar receiver who could make them the best team in football again. Or not.
Antonio Brown, who used to star for the arch-rival Steelers, wangled his way out of a $30 million contract with the Raiders and less than a day later signed a one-year deal with the Pats that could be worth more money to AB in the long run. Or not.
When Brown said he was done in Pittsburgh, Bill Belichick tried to trade for him but there was no way the Steelers were sending him there. Once considered a perfect fit for the renegade Raiders, AB got frozen feet and a helmet he didn’t like and perhaps realized he might never win a Super Bowl ring in Oakland. So he seemed to stage his own release and got another chance with the defending champs.
AB and his agent knew a civil lawsuit was coming from Brown’s one-time female trainer, which has put the NFL in the cross hairs again. With no evidence of criminal charges for sexual assault and rape, it is a he said-she said matter of a relationship gone sour. Brown played for the Pats in Sunday’s 43-0 slaughter of the Dolphins, while the league investigates this latest mess.
The trainer’s lawyers have released racy text messages she received, but her part of the alleged exchange is still a secret and even if Brown sent the graphic texts, they are no worse than the worst rap lyrics you can hear these days. And if the NFL suspended a player with no proof that a crime has been committed, that might make it a 1st Amendment issue that goes back to another court.
The Patriots claim they knew nothing of this before signing Brown, and of course Antonio-gate was coined once it broke. If the NFL cannot find anything new, it will be a play-on and let the matter be decided in civil court, where lots of cases involving entertainers and athletes wind up before settlements are made.
The Patriots – who are the athletic equivalent of Donald Trump – will remain daily news. You either love them or hate them and just like with your political stance, be careful who you discuss it with. The 2020 Super Bowl and election might be very good for you – or not.
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