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Antonio Brown, an NFL free agent, is countersuing Britney Taylor who is accusing him of multiple instances of sexual assault and rape.
According to CNN, the wide receiver denies Taylor’s allegations and is countersuing for defamation. He further claims that her accusations resulted in him losing football contracts. He filed his countersuit in Broward County, Florida on Wednesday.
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In the suit, Brown said that Taylor worked as one of his athletic trainers, and made up the accusations against him after he refused to invest $1.6 million in a gymnastics training center that she wanted him to back. Taylor was a gymnast at Central Michigan University, where Brown also attended. The two met as students.
“After failing to gain the purported business funding she sought from Brown or the relationship status she desired, Taylor began a vicious campaign of lies against Brown,” the counterclaim reads, adding that Taylor’s accusations are “vile, vicious and defamatory,” according to CNN.
Before he was released by the New England Patriots in September, following Taylor’s lawsuit, Brown was one of the NFL’s top-salaried players. In his countersuit, Brown said Taylor is aware of what her accusations are costing him.
READ MORE: Antonio Brown seeks $40 million from NFL in grievance claim
“Taylor’s false accusations about Brown interfered with the contracts and business relationships he had with the NFL, as well as multiple businesses with whom he had contracts for sponsorships and endorsements, resulting in significant financial loss for Brown,” according to Brown’s countersuit.
David Haas, Taylor’s attorney, called the countersuit an attempt to bully his client but said she will not back down. Taylor “remains steadfast in holding Defendant Brown accountable,” reported CNN.
“In the past, Defendant Brown has used intimidation to avoid responsibility for his actions,” Haas said in a statement on Twitter, according to CNN.
In her lawsuit, Taylor accuses Brown of sexually assaulting her twice back in 2017 and raping her a year later. Brown said he had consensual sex with Taylor.
READ MORE: Antonio Brown signs up for college after being cut from Patriots
Brown’s attorney, Camille Blanton, says Taylor communicated with Brown the very next day after the alleged rape.
“Mr. Brown is committed to his continued aggressive response to Taylor’s false allegations,” Blanton said, according to CNN. “Not only does Mr. Brown seek to clear his name, but he also desires to make a statement that there is not an open season to extort professional athletes.”