FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who said he wouldn't have any comment on off-the-field issues regarding wide receiver Antonio Brown, cut his Friday morning news conference short after fielding seven questions on the topic.
"I know there are questions about Antonio. We take all the situations with our team very seriously," Belichick said at the end of an opening statement that began with his thoughts on Sunday's opponent, the New York Jets. "There are some things that we're looking into, but I'm not going to have any comment on any of the off-the-field situations or questions on that. Anything on football, I'm happy to answer."
Belichick was then asked how he balances the off-field issues with football as it relates to Brown, who participated in his sixth practice with the team on Friday.
"When we work on football, we work on football," Belichick said.
Belichick said he wouldn't get into what Brown's role might be Sunday against the Jets.
"We're going to do what's best for the team, like we always do," Belichick said.
Belichick was then asked how he weighs what's best for the team when considering a player's performance on the field compared to his off-the-field actions.
"That's a big-picture question," he said. "We answer it the best we can. There's no set formula."
Asked how important it is, Belichick said, "Everything is important."
After he confirmed that Brown is still on the team's roster, Belichick's patience ran thin.
"I think I've already addressed this, so we're going to get ready for the Jets here," Belichick said, when asked a similar question on whether Brown's status on the team has been affected by a Sports Illustrated report regarding text messages Brown allegedly sent to an artist who had worked at his Pennsylvania home in 2017. "I'm happy to answer any football questions. But the rest of it, I'm done with the rest of it."
After another question about Brown was asked, Belichick walked off, saying, "I'm good. Thank you."
