Patriots release Antonio Brown after less than 2 weeks with team

Antonio Brown has been accused by two women of sexual misconduct since signing with the Patriots.

Antonio Brown is searching for his third team in the last two weeks.

The New England Patriots released Brown, the star wide receiver, Friday afternoon, as first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The Patriots confirmed the release with a statement:

Statement from a #Patriots spokesperson: https://t.co/c98rNDX9QG pic.twitter.com/DAohupBLHo

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 20, 2019

The release comes after another week of firestorm surrounding Brown, apparently of his own creation. On Monday, Sports Illustrated published a piece outlining a pattern of bizarre, bad behavior by Brown, including sexually harassing a hired artist while nude.

Friday morning, SI reported that Brown had sent threatening texts to the artist who’d accused him of harassing her at his home while she painted a mural.

The artist was the second woman in a week to accuse Brown of sexual misconduct. His former trainer accused him of rape in a lawsuit filed last week, just after he signed with New England.

Brown thanked the Patriots on Twitter for the opportunity to play for the defending Super Bowl champions.

Thank you for the opportunity @Patriots #GoWinIt

— AB (@AB84) September 20, 2019

He played one game for New England, catching four passes including a touchdown. That’s more than he did with the Raiders, who acquired him from the Steelers in the offseason for two draft picks and cut him just before their regular-season opener after a disruptive but comparatively harmless offseason.

It’s not clear what’s next for Brown, who has not been disciplined by the NFL as news surrounding him has become more serious.