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Antonio Brown is being sued by a woman who claims the New England Patriots star WR sexually assaulted and raped her during 3 separate encounters ... this according to a new lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports.

The woman behind the lawsuit, who identifies herself as Britney Taylor, says she was hired by Brown as a personal trainer. Taylor claims the first incident happened in June 2017 during a training session when "Brown exposed himself and kissed [her] without her consent."

Taylor then describes a second alleged incident ... "Later that month, Brown, while positioned behind her, began masturbating near her without her knowledge and ejaculated on her back."

Taylor claims the first incident occurred at Brown's home in Pittsburgh and the second incident occurred at Brown's home in Florida.

According to the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Florida, Taylor claims Brown bragged about the incident to her in "profane and angry text messages."

Several months later, the accuser claims Brown reached out to her to express contrition and "begged forgiveness."

Taylor claims Brown begged her to continue training him -- and after initial hesitation, she ultimately agreed.

However, the woman claims nearly a year later -- on May 20, 2018 "Brown cornered [her] forced her down onto a bed, pushed her face into the mattress, and forcibly raped her."

The woman claims she tried to fight back but Brown was "too strong and physically overpowered her."

In the suit, the woman claims she screamed and cried throughout the entire incident -- repeatedly shouting "no" and "stop."

Brown refused to stop, according to the suit, and penetrated her, the woman claims.

In her suit, Taylor describes herself as a "28-year-old world class gymnast" who competed at "elite levels of international competition."

In her suit, Taylor claims she met Antonio Brown while they were both student athletes at Central Michigan University where they participated in a Fellowship of Christian Athletes group.

In her suit, Taylor says she wants compensation for "physical injuries, pain and suffering, humiliation, embarrassment, stress and anxiety, loss of self-esteem and self-confidence, and emotional pain and suffering."

In fact, Taylor claims she was so traumatized from the alleged incidents she "had near-daily panic attacks, frequent suicidal ideations, and insomnia. She has also lost a remarkable amount of weight -- 30 pounds in one month -- due to stress."

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She also wants punitive damages -- though she does not specify an amount.

Taylor has issued a statement through her attorney saying, "As a rape victim of Antonio Brown, deciding to speak out has been an incredibly difficult decision."

"I have found strength in my faith, my family, and from the accounts of other survivors of sexual assault. Speaking out removes the shame that I have felt for the past year and places it on the person responsible for my rape."

"I will cooperate with the NFL and any other agencies; however, at this time, I respectfully request that the media please respect my privacy."

We've reached out to Brown's camp for comment -- so far, no word back.

The lawsuit comes in the wake of a wild couple of weeks for Brown -- who was released by the Oakland Raiders on Saturday morning after feuding with the team's general manager over fines.

Brown recorded a phone conversation with head coach Jon Gruden -- who didn't see, to know he was being recorded -- and posted it on social media.

Hours after Brown was released, the New England Patriots swooped in and signed Brown to a 1-year contract worth up to $15 million, with a $9 million signing bonus.

Pats head coach Bill Belichick said Tuesday morning he signed Brown in the hopes of having the same success he had when he signed Randy Moss back in the day.

So far, no comment from the Patriots on the lawsuit.