The Patriots have issued a statement regarding the sexual

assault and rape lawsuit filed against receiver Antonio Brown. And the statement says plenty about the NFL’s response to the situation.“We are aware of the civil lawsuit that was filed earlier today against Antonio Brown Authentic Chase Winovich Jersey , as well as the response by Antonio’s representatives,” the Patriots said. “We take these allegations very seriously. Under no circumstance does this organization condone sexual violence or assault. The league has informed us that they will be investigating. We will have no further comment while that investigation takes place.”While the league has not responded to a request for comment from PFT, the team’s statement makes it clear that the NFL will exercise its prerogative to explore the matter. Because no criminal investigation is pending, the league need not wait to investigate. Because the plaintiff in the lawsuit, Britney Taylor, has expressed a willingness to cooperate with the NFL, the league should face no obstacles, given its inability to subpoena non-employees of the league or its teams.Depending on the information obtained, Brown could be placed on the Commissioner-Exempt list while the investigation proceeds. He also could be disciplined by the league even in the absence of an arrest or conviction.The statement also implies that the Patriots will be taking no action while the investigation proceeds. In 1996, the Patriots rescinded their rights to fifth-round draft pick Christian Peter based on a string of arrests while in college at Nebraska. Given that Brown has denied the allegations made against him, it’s impossible at this point to know whether he has any actual responsibility. If the league finds that Brown engaging in misconduct, the Patriots could choose to part ways with Brown. New England had its first full-pads session on Saturday." NFL training campPatriots AnalysisPatriots Training Camp CoverageCleaning out the notebook from day three of the Patriots’ 2019 training campNew,5commentsRelated: News and notes from day 3 of Patriots Training CampEDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Cleaning out the notebook from day three of the Patriots’ 2019 training campTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesYesterday Chase Winovich Jersey Boys , for the first time since their victory in Super Bowl 53, the New England Patriots took the field in full pads. Granted, it was only practice, but it was still the next step towards the upcoming season and the world champions’ quest to defend their title. The Patriots being in full football gear was not the only story to come out of Foxboro on Saturday, however, so let’s open the notebook before heading into the next day.New England opens the full pad portion of camp rather slowlyWhile the team wore full pads, Saturday’s practice was comparatively light. The session took only around 90 minutes — usually it is around two hours in length — as the coaching staff apparently did not want to over-work its players. As a result, the action was mostly focusing on the running game while one-on-one pass rushing drills were limited to two reps per player. Expect the physicality to increase as training camp rolls along.Sony Michel’s return gives the Patriots a full deck at running backArguably the biggest story of Saturday’s session was the return of second-year running back Sony Michel. As noted yesterday, he moved well and did not show any signs of rust albeit in limited action (he sat out 11-on-11 drills). Still, his return is good news for the Patriots as it gives the team a full deck at running back. With Michel back and looking as if he did not skip a beat, the Patriots can start working out their rotation heading into the season — especially when it comes to potential 1B/short-yardage/goal line back Damien Harris, who took most of the starter reps with Michel absent.No need to worry about Tom Brady and the passing game just yetAs noted above, the Patriots focused primarily on the running game on Saturday which meant limited action for Tom Brady and company. When the future Hall of Famer took the field Youth Julian Edelman Jerseys , however, he was fairly inefficient to say the least: he completed just two of eight attempts during team sessions, while all four of his passes thrown during 11-on-11 hit the ground. Not all of the throws were necessarily his fault, though.Two of the incompletions appeared to be miscommunications with his intended targets: Brady and rookie receiver N’Keal Harry were not on the same page during the first team session, while the quarterback and veteran running back Rex Burkhead also had a misunderstanding during the final 11-on-11 period. Furthermore, the Patriots’ defensive backs stood out by forcing three incompletions with very good coverage.All in all, yesterday’s slow practice should therefore be classified under ‘growing pains’ more than anything else.Matt LaCosse and Benjamin Watson are the top two tight endsAt one point during practice, director of player personnel Nick Caserio and assistant coach Nick Caley had a separate workout away from the team involving two of the club’s six tight ends: Matt LaCosse and Benjamin Watson. The side-session was further confirmation of the current pecking order at the position — it’s LaCosse and Watson at the top, with everyone else clearly behind them. The question will be who takes Watson’s spot when the veteran’s four-game suspension kicks in. So far, no other tight end has stood out.Nick Caserio won’t comment on Texans’ pursuit of himSpeaking of Nick Caserio, he took the podium on Saturday — a rather unusual development, as reporters usually only hear from him around the draft. But address the press he did to speak about Michel’s return, the Hall of Fame inductions of Rodney Harrison (Patriots) and Ty Law (Pro Football) Julian Edelman Jerseys Stitched , and answer questions. Numerous of them were, of course, about the Houston Texans’ pursuit of him earlier this offseason. Caserio’s comments were not at all surprising.“I’d say I’m pretty honored and privileged to be in the position I’m in, to work for this organization,” Caserio said when asked about his feelings on the situation. “It’s a great organization with a lot of great people. I’m thankful for the opportunity that I have each day to come to work and come into this building. We’ve got a lot of great people. I’m fortunate and honored to work with Bill [Belichick] on a day-to-day basis and a lot of other people in this organization.”“My job is really just to serve the people that are in this building and we’ve got a lot of great people. My focus is in trying to do the best that I can every day and be the best version of myself for this team and this organization and that’s what the focus is,” continued Caserio, who essentially is the Patriots’ general manager but does not hold the title — this, in turn, makes it possible for other teams to pursue him even though he reportedly has a non-interview clause in his deal.When asked about the club essentially blocking him from speaking to other teams, Caserio wouldn’t give anything away: “I love being here, and right now we’re focused on trying to get the team ready for this season. I’m happy to be here and I love what I do on a day-to-day basis. [...] Right now, my focus is on this football team and that’s where it’s always going to be.”