The New England Patriots released Antonio Brown on Friday on the heels of claims that the superstar wide receiver had raped one woman and sent threatening text messages to a second woman, who had accused him of sexual harassment.

"The New England Patriots are releasing Antonio Brown," the reigning Super Bowl champion franchise 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," the Patriots said.

The Patriots signed Brown, 31, less than two weeks ago, right after his controversial departure from the Oakland Raiders.

In a tweet to the Patriots, Brown said, "Thanks for the opportunity."

He included photos from his single game with the team.

Brown tweet

The NFL had no immediate comment. But according to lawyers for one of his accusers, the league has said "it will continue to investigate all claims regarding his behavior."

Just two days after Brown signed with the Patriots, a former physical trainer filed a civil lawsuit accusing Brown of sexually assaulting her three separate times.

The woman, Britney Taylor, met with National Football League investigators Monday.

The NFL has not taken any disciplinary action so far against Brown, who has denied Taylor's claims.

Taylor's lawyers declined to comment on his release by the Patriots.

The Patriots allowed Brown to play and kept him on the team on the heels of Taylor's allegations. And he remained on the team after another woman, an artist, was quoted in a Sports Illustrated article saying Brown had made an unwanted sexual advance toward her and fired her after she did not reciprocate.

But on Thursday, Sports Illustrated published a new story saying that on Wednesday the woman received what she took as intimidating text messages from Brown following the magazine's first story about her claims.

"The text chain, with four other phone numbers on it, included photos of her and her children, with the person she believes is Brown encouraging others in the group to investigate the woman," reported Sports Illustrated, which has not identified the woman.

On Friday, shortly before Brown's release, Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, lawyers for the unidentified woman, said the NFL told them the league had contacted the Patriots about the text messages.

The lawyers also said that the NFL had "pledged to conduct a thorough investigation under its Personal Conduct Policy," and advised us that the Patriots directed Mr. Brown to have no further contact with our client, either directly or through his associates."

"The NFL also advised us that it contacted Mr. Brown's representative and reiterated that Mr. Brown was to cease and desist efforts to contact or intimidate our client," Banks and Katz said.

Katz last year represented Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who has accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct when they were high school students in the 1980s.

Banks and Katz, in a statement about Brown's release, said: "The NFL and the Patriots clearly took our client's concerns seriously. She wanted the threats and intimidation to stop and we hope that will be [the] case."

"The NFL has assured us that regardless of Antonio Brown's roster status, it will continue to investigate all claims regarding his behavior."

"We are gratified that the NFL recognized that it has an important role to play in policing player conduct that is sexually harassing and threatening," the lawyers said.