Antonio Brown reaches settlement in sexual assault suit

Antonio Brown and a former trainer who accused him of sexually assaulting her have settled a legal dispute, according to a joint statement from the woman's attorney and a representative for the free agent receiver.

Gymnast Britney Taylor sued Brown in 2019, alleging he sexually assaulted her three times while she worked as his personal trainer.

Brown denied the allegations and later countersued Taylor, claiming her suit was in retaliation after he declined to invest more than $1.5 million in her gymnastics business.

On Thursday, attorney David Hass told NBC News that the legal fight with Brown had been settled.

"Antonio and Britney have been friends for over a decade. Several years ago they almost became business partners. Recently, they were involved in aggressive litigation," he said in a joint statement with a representative for Brown, Alana Burstyn.

"Having reflected on their relationship, both feel that the time has come to move on. Antonio is grateful for Britney's excellent training assistance," the statement said. "They are pleased that Antonio is doing so well with the Bucs and has a ring. Their dispute is resolved and they wish each other great continued success."

“My team is excited about moving ahead with many opportunities and requests for Antonio," Burstyn added.

A joint stipulation for dismissal of the claims was filed Wednesday in Broward County, Florida. The terms of the settlement were not clear.

Taylor's suit alleged that after Brown sexually assaulted Taylor twice in 2017, she stopped working for him until he contacted her in 2018 to apologize. She began working for Brown again in April 2018, training him during off-season weekends.

A month later, the suit alleged, Brown forcibly raped Taylor in his bedroom while she attempted to physically fight him off and tell him no.

According to Brown's countersuit, Taylor initiated a romantic relationship with Brown, and any sex they had was consensual.

Brown spent nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and then a very short time with the Oakland Raiders before signing with the New England Patriots. After he signed with the Patriots, the suit was filed. Brown was released from the team in 2019 after one game.

He spent the remainder of that year and the beginning of 2020 as a free agent before signing a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brown caught a touchdown in the Bucs’ 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in this year's Super Bowl.