Getty Former New England Patriot and Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch.
If the reports on Antonio Brown’s playing status are to be believed, the New England Patriots are planning on having the mercurial wide receiver on the field this week for a matchup against the lowly Miami Dolphins — just days removed from the star pass-catcher being accused of sexually assaulting his former trainer.
NFL Insider Ian Rapoport revealed the Patriots’ mindset for the Week 2 matchup, saying it’s “moving in the direction” of Brown being active for the game unless the league steps in.
From NFL Now: The #Patriots are practicing as if WR Antonio Brown is going to play on Sunday, and unless the NFL steps in, he just may.
Former Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch — who had two different stints in New England and won a pair of Super Bowls with the Pats — said he doesn’t expect Brown to be a distraction. He said that’s mainly because of the presence of head coach Bill Belichick.
“Everything starts with Bill,” Branch said in a video published by TMZ. “It starts with your leader on the team. Coach Belichick, out of all the years he’s been coaching and been a part of numerous different organizations, trust me, this ain’t the first time something like this has came up with some of his players. He will do what’s best for the organization, that we all know.”
Branch said it was probably hard for the players to hear about the allegations, which included three separate incidents between Brown and his accuser.
“It’s tough, especially when you hear things of that nature,” Branch said. “The most important thing is just for you to carry out your assignment, do your job while you’re there.”
The Patriots signed Brown shortly after he was released by the Oakland Raiders last week.
Former NBA Champion Stephen Jackson Skeptical of Antonio Brown’s Accuser
TMZ also caught up with former NBAer Stephen Jackson and asked him about what he thought about the Antonio Brown saga.
Jackson didn’t mince words, criticizing both the behavior and timing.
“At the end of the day, if you still work with someone that’s been sexually assaulting you, how is that sexual assault,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going on but at the end of the day, I just don’t understand the timing of it.
“There’s a lot of stuff that’s been going on with AB and she decides to come out with it three years later, around the time AB’s going through all this other stuff. Like, it’s kind of tricky,” Jackson continued. “But, at the end of the day, I’m on the side of the athlete until he’s proven guilty. So, shout-out to AB. Ya’ll know how I rock.”
Patriots Are Massive Favorites at the Dolphins
With or without Brown, the Patriots are walking into their matchup with the Dolphins as near historic favorites.
Odds Shark currently has the Pats listed as 18.5 road favorites for Sunday’s contest at Hard Rock Stadium.
The last time the Patriots were favored by 20 or more points was against the Indianapolis Colts in 2011 when Indy was 0-11 and Peyton Manning was sidelined with an injury.
But it might not be as simple as the spread indicates. The Pats have lost five of the last six contests in Miami, including a ridiculous ending last year on the “Miami Miracle” play.
“It’s been a tough matchup for us down there,” Belichick said. “We’ve got to do a better job than we’ve done in the past if we expect different results, and we’ll work toward trying to get that.”
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