When the Raiders traded for receiver Antonio Brown, they assumed the risk of discipline arising from a January incident that resulted in Brown being accused of shoving the mother of one of his children to the ground. It’s still unclear whether anything will come of it.
Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that there are no updates in the case. Although presented as news that both the authorities and the NFL have closed the case, the more accurate characterization may be that there simply is no news.
Bouchette writes that a spokesman for the Hollywood, Fla. police department said via email that there is “nothing new in the case.” Likewise, the NFL provided a vague update to Bouchette: “We are aware of the matter and have been monitoring it,” a league spokesman told Bouchette. “No update.”
None of this means it’s over. The NFL won’t actively investigate situations like this until it’s clear that the legal process has ended. The police department explaining that there is “no news” doesn’t mean it’s over. It means there is no news.
Still, if the alleged victim isn’t pressing charges, she presumably won’t cooperate with the league, either. At the end of the day, there may simply be no evidence to support punishment for Brown, because there may be no way to get any of it.
For now, though, it seems premature to declare that Brown and the Raiders have nothing to worry about.