I cannot believe what is going on with the Patriots. How in the world is this a surprise to them?
This toxic situation is years in the making. On some level I want to know what Drew Rosenhaus knows and when did he know it. He's the attorney/intermediary here. It is very hard for me to believe that this situation was under wraps to the defendant's people with all of the on-again, off-again parts of the plaintiff's story spanning several locations and multiple events of sexual assault.
I am not taking sides here at all after reading the lawsuit description, the rebuttal by AB's lawyers and media descriptions. It takes two to tango, and my guess is that both the defendant and the plaintiff have a role in this spiralling out of control. AB's behaviors in Pittsburgh and Oakland suggest he has difficulty discerning the limits of civil and appropriate behavior. The plaintiff kept engaging with AB despite completely unacceptable and, if proven, illegal sexual assaults.
The Patriots signed a contract that has extensive protections in it. They should step back and make this guy inactive until this situation gains some clarity. I, for one, don't want to see him on Sunday in a Patriots uniform until this is resolved. AB hasn't earned it.