Sources — NFL not placing AB on exempt list

The NFL will not place New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown on the commissioner’s exempt list at this point, making him eligible to play Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The league has opened an investigation into Brown, which will include interviews with the wide receiver and Britney Taylor, Brown’s former trainer who filed a lawsuit with the Southern District of Florida on Tuesday in which she accused him of sexually assaulting her on three occasions in 2017 and 2018.

Taylor has scheduled a meeting with the NFL for next week, a source previously told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Sources told Fowler on Thursday that the Patriots and Oakland Raiders were not aware of the pending lawsuit against Brown, who had been in discussions with Taylor over the past few months. They had agreed that their communication would remain confidential until the filing of Taylor’s civil sexual assault lawsuit, sources told Fowler.

Brown’s lawyer, Darren Heitner, said in a statement Tuesday night that his client and Taylor were involved in a “consensual personal relationship.”

Following the lawsuit’s filing, the Patriots said they were taking the allegations seriously but would not comment further during the NFL’s investigation.

Brown officially signed with the Patriots on Monday. He has practiced with the team the past two days.

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