Sources: AB rejected $2M settlement with Taylor - 2 minutes read


Antonio Brown declined to sign a $2 million-plus agreement with Britney Taylor to settle a sexual assault allegation made by the wide receiver's former trainer, sources told ESPN's Jeff Darlington.

Brown had a deadline last Sunday night to sign the settlement agreement before Taylor's attorneys sought to file their civil lawsuit against him. After Brown didn't sign off on the settlement, the suit was filed Tuesday.

Settlement discussions began as early as April and included two mediations, one of which occurred in May, sources familiar with the talks told Darlington.

Brown's decision not to sign the settlement came around the same time that he agreed to a deal with the New England Patriots, which his agent revealed Sept. 7 and was formalized Monday.

In the lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of Florida, Taylor accuses Brown of sexually assaulting her on three occasions in 2017 and 2018.

The NFL is set to meet with Taylor on Monday as part of its investigation into the matter, a source confirmed to ESPN.

A source told ESPN's Josina Anderson that Taylor has given information to the league in advance of the meeting. The source said they were not told that Brown or any of his representatives would be at that meeting and are not expecting them to be.

ESPN had previously reported that the NFL and Taylor were expected to meet in the upcoming week. NFL Network first reported Sunday that the meeting would take place on Monday.

Brown traveled with the Patriots to Miami ahead of Sunday's game against the Dolphins, a source told ESPN's Mike Reiss on Saturday, and is expected to make his season debut. Sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Friday that Brown was not placed on the commissioner's exempt list, as there is no criminal investigation into the wide receiver.

Brown's lawyer, Darren Heitner, said in a statement Tuesday that his client and Taylor were involved in a "consensual personal relationship."