Nike has cut ties with Antonio Brown, and New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is through answering questions about his embattled receiver.
Belichick cut short his regular media availability Friday, a day after a second woman accused the Patriots receiver of sexual misconduct. The coach said the team is looking into “some things,” then refused to answer several more questions about Brown, saying, “I’m done with the rest of it.”
After another question about Brown, Belichick walked out.
Earlier Friday, Nike spokesman Josh Benedek confirmed that the company is no longer working with Brown, telling The Associated Press, “Antonio Brown is not a Nike athlete.” The move comes after the second woman’s accusation. He was already facing accusations of rape by a former trainer.
Through his attorney, Brown has denied the allegations. He declined to answer questions about the accusations in the Patriots locker room Thursday.
Nike’s decision was first reported by the Boston Globe.
The NFL did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Belichick took the unusual step on Friday of addressing a nonfootball situation before being asked.
“We take all the situations with our team very seriously,” he said. “There are some things we are looking into but I’m not going to have any comment on the off-the-field situations.”
Asked if he expected Brown to play Sunday against the New York Jets, Belichick said, “He’s on our roster.”
But when more questions about Brown followed, the coach had enough and left.
———
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP—NFL
