Bill Belichick Walks out of Press Conference After Antonio Brown Statement

Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots speaks with the press at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., on Jan. 30, 2018. Elsa/Getty Images

Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots coach, answered a handful of questions about Antonio Brown, who was later released by the team before he abruptly exited the press conference.

The moment when he walked out was captured on video.

“I know there are questions about Antonio,” Belichick said on Sept. 20. “We take all the situations with our team very seriously. There are some things we’re looking into. I’m not going to comment on any of the off-the-field situations.”

Brown has been the focus of an NFL investigation after physical trainer Britney Taylor alleged that he sexually assaulted her. Another woman said that he sent her threatening texts after she came forward with allegations.

According to  CBS Sports, Belichick spoke for 3 minutes and about 30 seconds with local media outlets.

He was asked about whether “off-field allegations, accusations complicate your ability to coach him, your feelings about him personally?”

“When we work on football, we work on football,” he said.

He was then asked: “How important is the behavior off the field?” “Everything’s important,” Belichick replied.

Antonio Brown of the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium on September 15, 2019 in Miami, Florida. Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

When questioned further on the allegations about Brown, the longtime head coach said:

“I think I’ve already addressed this. We’re going to get ready for the Jets here. Happy to answer any football questions. The rest of it—I’m done with the rest of it,” he replied.

After another question about the superstar wide receiver, he replied with, “So, yup. That’s, yeah, I’m good, thank you. I think we had enough of it.”

Then he walked out of the presser.

Later on Friday, the Patriots announced that Brown was released.

“The New England Patriots are releasing Antonio Brown,” the team said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard work of many people over the past 11 days, but we feel that it is best to move in a different direction at this time.”

Antonio Brown smiles before stretching during NFL football practice in Alameda, Calif., on Aug. 20, 2019. Jeff Chiu/AP Photo

Brown confirmed the release on Twitter, saying, “Thank you for the opportunity (Patriots) #GoWinIt.”

A day before, Nike said it had cut its ties with Brown.

“Antonio Brown is not a Nike athlete,” the Nike spokesman told USA Today. The company didn’t say why it no longer sponsors the New England Patriots star.

There are no Antonio Brown sneakers available on Nike’s website, including his shoe, the “Nike Tech Trainer Antonio Brown.”