Bill Belichick dodges flood of Antonio Brown questions in brief, tense press conference
https://twitter.com/ftbeard_17/status/1171814426267095040
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
FOXBORO, Mass. — Bill Belichick exited his press conference early on Wednesday, once it became apparent that he would only face questions about the rape and sexual assault allegations against Patriots receiver Antonio Brown.
The head coach did address the situation at the end of his opening statement: “On Antonio’s situation, both Antonio and his representatives have made statements and so I’m not gong to be expanding on any of those. They are what they are. We’ve looked into the situation, we’ve taken it very seriously all the way through the organization. I’m sure there are questions, but I’m not going to be entering any discussion about that today.”
Obviously, there were questions.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – AUGUST 15: Wide receiver Antonio Brown #84 of the Oakland Raiders adjusts his helmet before the NFL preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on August 15, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Belichick continued to refer to the statements as he got peppered with inquiries about the situation, including whether Brown spoke to him about the allegations or whether he or the team knew about it before they signed him. It ultimately got to a tense exchange with a reporter, who I believe was CNN’s Jason Carroll. The reporter pressed Belichick on how much he knew about the allegations before signing Brown, to which Belichick said “I’m done with that.”
After saying he’d answered the reporter’s question, the reporter said “Actually you didn’t.” Belichick snapped back with “Actually I did.” And then the press conference abruptly ended after about four minutes. His Wednesday pressers usually last in the 15-minute range.
There are football questions with the team, such as the situation at tackle with Marcus Cannon and the signing of Marshall Newhouse. But those were inevitably going to take a back seat to the lawsuit against Brown. Anything on the football operation or the Dolphins will have to wait until (maybe) Friday.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.
