FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots released embattled wide receiver Antonio Brown on Friday, less than two weeks after signing him.

"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 team said in a statement.

Brown, who had practiced with the team earlier Friday, tweeted his thanks to the organization shortly before the move was announced.

Thanks for the opportunity appreciate @Patriots pic.twitter.com/envfHEd6N8

— AB (@AB84) September 20, 2019

Brown has been accused of sexually assaulting his former trainer, Britney Taylor, according to a civil lawsuit she filed Sept. 10. A source previously told ESPN's Jeff Darlington that Brown declined to sign a $2 million-plus agreement with Taylor in a proposed settlement.

Taylor met with the NFL on Sept. 16. A source had previously told ESPN that there are "more interviews and information-gathering being conducted now beyond Taylor."

It remains unclear when or if Brown will interview with the league.

In addition to the lawsuit, Brown faces another allegation of sexual misconduct by a female artist who was working at his Western Pennsylvania home in 2017. That allegation was part of a Sports Illustrated report published Monday that detailed domestic incidents involving Brown, a charity auction theft and multiple unpaid debts.

On Thursday, the lawyer for the artist reached out to the NFL after Brown apparently sent what were described as threatening text messages to her client. The sides spoke Friday morning, with the woman's attorneys saying in a statement that the league "pledged to conduct a thorough investigation under its Personal Conduct Policy." According to that statement, the league also contacted the Patriots, who then directed Brown to have no further contact with the woman.

Brown, 31, made his debut with the Patriots last Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, totaling four catches for 56 yards and one touchdown.

On Thursday, Brown answered four questions from reporters, which marked the first time he had addressed the media since joining the Patriots. He was not directly asked about the civil lawsuit, or the allegations of sexual misconduct.

"I'm just here to focus on ball," Brown said in an interview that lasted just one minute, when asked if he had heard from the NFL about his availability.

The Patriots had agreed to pay Brown a $9 million signing bonus, which was divided into two parts -- $5 million that was due to be paid Sept. 23 (Monday) and $4 million that wasn't due to be paid until Jan. 15.

"It's unfortunate things didn't work out with the Patriots," the receiver's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said. "But Antonio is healthy and is looking forward to his next opportunity in the NFL. He wants to play the game he loves and he hopes to play for another team soon."

Without Brown, the Patriots have Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon, Phillip Dorsett and undrafted Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski on the wide receiver depth chart, with special-teams captain Matthew Slater a niche/emergency option.

New England is 2-0 this season, winning both games by a combined 76-3. The defending Super Bowl champs host the New York Jets on Sunday. According to Caesars Sportsbook, New England's odds to win that game went from -22.5 to -21.5 after Brown was released. The over-under went from 44 to 43.5, per Caesars.

NEW YORK -- The NBA's Board of Governors on Friday unanimously approved a series of measures to more strictly enforce compliance with tampering and salary-cap circumvention.

In addition to being subject to fines up to $10 million, teams can also lose draft picks, executives can be suspended and contracts can be voided when rules are not followed. In addition, teams must save communications with agents for one year and random auditing of a team's communication with agents and other teams can take place.

"We had, I think, a very healthy discussion on those issues," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said of the changes in a news conference after the league's meetings had concluded. "Certainly the provisions passed unanimously, and there was a strong view I think of every single person in the room that we need to ensure that we're creating a culture of compliance in this league and that our teams want to know that they're competing on a level playing field, and frankly don't want to feel disadvantaged if they are adhering to our existing rules.

"The ultimate goal here is to ensure compliance and to ensure that there's that appropriate tension that exists at the team. So there is sort of a significant threat that if a team doesn't comply, that there will be consequences."

Both tampering and the potential for salary-cap circumvention gained steam this summer, after a series of deals appeared to be agreed upon before free agency officially began at 6:01 p.m. ET on June 30 -- and after Kawhi Leonard's high-profile free agency resulted in both he and Paul George winding up with the LA Clippers.

As a result, Silver and the league entered this week's meetings with a series of things the NBA wanted to implement to create stricter consequences going forward.

Among them:

* The annual, random auditing of five teams' communications with rival front offices and player agents, along with the league having the mandate that it can "undertake more in-depth investigations ... where cause exists";

* Increasing the maximum fine amount to $10 million;

* Top team officials are required to save communications with agents for one year

Those items are now officially league rules after the Board of Governors' unanimous approval Friday afternoon -- easily clearing the 75% majority vote (23 out of the 30 NBA teams) needed to enact them.

One of the biggest areas of concern for team officials centers around privacy concerns stemming from the league's ability to seize communications devices.

While that is something that the league could already do -- such as when it investigated the Brooklyn Nets (and ultimately cleared them of wrongdoing) over the signing Andrei Kirilenko in the summer of 2013 -- Silver acknowledged those fears in his opening statement announcing the changes.

"I'm sure you've heard some of the chatter around these rules," Silver said. "As I said, I understand it, that none of us want people looking into our private affairs. I think part of the discussion, of course, went to what the scope of any investigation should be. I am not interested in looking in any aspects of people's life outside of what is relevant to the operation of their teams, unless of course there is an issue that requires that we look into something outside the scope of what we're addressing here."

Still, when Silver was asked directly about how he and the rest of the league office addressed those concerns, he notably left the door open to pursue them.

"Well, I'm not sure I allayed everyone's concerns, but I will say it's my job to create an appropriate amount of tension in that area," Silver said. "Obviously, if people felt that they were absolutely free and clear to communicate in certain ways, you wouldn't be addressing the consequences notion of improper activity.

"Again, I understand it. As I was saying from the other standpoint, none of us want people looking into their personal communications. But I think people who operate in a public company environment, who operate in a financial world, who are used to compliance procedures, understand that you have to find the right balance of disclosure and privacy so that you can ensure that people of goodwill will understand that there will be consequences to inappropriate behavior."

Meanwhile, as far as how the mechanics of the random auditing of the five teams will take place, Silver said more work still needs to be done to iron out the details.

"There's not much more I can share with you at this point, and not because I'm withholding information from you," Silver said. "We listened to our teams. We heard their concerns. We said we would go back and, in essence, come up with a framework in which we would discuss with our teams before we implemented it and recognize the balance, again, of their privacy concerns with our need to ensure compliance.

"At some point there will be more information available, but the league has additional work to do in that area before we, in essence, promulgate the specific rules around compliance."

The measures were part of several changes approved by the board:

TRAVELING: The league also issued a statement announcing it had clarified the language governing how it makes traveling calls.

The new language provides a formal definition of a player "gathering" his dribble -- something that has been part of how referees determine traveling calls for some time, but has never been actually spelled out in the rules. Now, it is.

"One of the most misunderstood rules in our game is how traveling is interpreted and appropriately called," NBA President of League Operations Byron Spruell said in the statement. "Revising the language of certain areas of the rule is part of our three-pronged approach to address the uncertainty around traveling."

ANNOUNCING LINEUPS EARLIER: Teams must now make official their starting lineups 30 minutes before tipoff, as opposed to 10. The move was made "to increase transparency for teams, media and fans," according to the statement.

It also stands to reason that, as sports gambling grows more and more prevalent, the additional clarity would be a benefit to gamblers, as well.

Teams will still have the ability to change their starting lineup after the 30-minute deadline if "circumstances change" -- typically if a player was to sustain or exacerbate an injury during pregame warmups.

CONCORD, N.C. – Machine tool manufacturer Cincinnati Inc. has joined Hendrick Motorsports as an official partner via a 10-year agreement that will begin in 2019 and run through the 2028 racing season.

Cincinnati will be showcased as primary sponsor of driver Alex Bowman’s No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the Oct. 6 NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Int’l Speedway and in two events in 2020.

In addition to being named Hendrick Motorsports’ official metal fabrication and additive equipment provider, the Ohio-based company will become a full-season associate sponsor of the team’s entire four-car stable for the next decade.

“We are absolutely thrilled to begin this relationship with Hendrick Motorsports,” said Rakesh Kumar, vice president of sales, service and marketing for Cincinnati Inc., which was founded in the 1890s. “Rick Hendrick’s teams have a long and storied history of winning at every level. We are proud to be associated with that incredible record and partner with another enduring American brand. We look forward to starting off our partnership as a primary sponsor of Alex Bowman and having a presence across all four teams for many years to come.”

Hendrick Motorsports will utilize Cincinnati’s equipment in the development and construction of its full fleet of race cars, including laser cutting, press brake and additive manufacturing machinery. Cincinnati’s 10-year commitment is the longest single sponsorship pact in the history of the team, which was founded in 1984.

“Ten years is quite a statement,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “It demonstrates how the Cincinnati team feels about NASCAR and the opportunities the sport presents for their business. From the perspective of our team, it’s a major endorsement of how fantastic the Cincinnati products are and the confidence we have that the relationship will help provide a competitive advantage on the racetrack. We look forward to a lot of trips to Victory Lane together over the next decade.”

BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. — Anyone who races has to enjoy it.

Otherwise the never-ending work and time spent going down the highway wouldn’t be worth it. Two drivers who especially appreciate racing with the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions are Dale Blaney and Paul McMahan.

“I hurt my thumb at work in the fab shop last year and was out for three months,” Blaney explained  “I couldn’t race so I lost my ride and only showed 10 or 11 races for the whole season. I’d usually run 70 or more, so it was a big change. I’m not sure we’ll get to 70 this year with all the rainouts, but we’re trying.”

Last year was the first season in memory that Blaney hadn’t run a complete schedule.

“I guess I probably needed the time off,” Blaney said. “My longtime owner, mechanic and friend, George Fisher, passed away at the end of the 2016 season and it was tough going to races without him. 2017 was not much fun because it just wasn’t the same. It was probably a blessing to sit out last year after I got hurt. I ended up helping my brother, Dave, a little bit and got my desire to race back.

“It was like losing your wife. Friends of mine have had their wife die and it took them two or three years to recover. I felt like them.”

Blaney is driving for Sam McGhee Motorsports this season and had three victories through July 24.

“ It’s only their second year of racing,” Blaney explained. “Ryan Smith ran it last year and they learned from him. They’re still learning but they’re getting to be pretty good at it, and I see the potential for them to get a lot better.

“It took a couple of months for me to get back in the groove, plus we had to figure each other out between rainouts. Now we’ve found a routine and it’s a lot easier. When you don’t race much, you have to put yourself in racing situations and hone your skills again. A good driver never forgets how to race but it takes a little while to be sharp again.”

Now that he’s comfortable, competitive and winning races again, it seems like Blaney may be back for the long haul.

“I hope so,” said the 55-year-old Blaney. “My eyes are still good and my reaction time hasn’t changed.  Someday they’ll start going the other way but as long as I’m still competitive, still winning, I’m going to keep going. I’m like my brother, Dave. He’s still a really good driver but now he gets his enjoyment from building his own cars and trying new things. When he hits on something, he’s as fast as ever. I guess both of us just appreciate having the chance to keep racing at the upper levels of the sport.”

McMahan, 48, is another advocate of the ASCoC schedule, which lets top drivers compete without having to follow the far-flung World of Outlaws trail.

“I really enjoy this deal,” said McMahan. “I love being home in Hendersonville, Tenn., with my wife, sleeping in my own bed and having a real job. I work for QuickCar Racing Products as a production assistant and life is good.

“I was out there with the World of Outlaws so long that it wasn’t fun anymore,” he added. “There’s politics in racing everywhere, but there you had to deal with it every day. I’ve raced for a living since 1997 and spent 20 years with the Outlaws. I was fortunate to be able to do it that long.

“The All Star schedule is just enough to keep my ambition going. We don’t go if we don’t want to and sometimes we take a weekend off. After all these years, it’s great to do nothing, absolutely nothing. My wife and I go to the lake, we hang out, we have a nice dinner, all the things you miss when you’re on the road all the time.”

McMahan’s days as an outlaw have come and gone.

“No way. I wouldn’t go back,” he said. “I have no desire to run with the Outlaws again except for the Florida shows. I still love to race but I’m not doing it full time anymore. Owners want to buy a car off the shelf and go out and beat Schatz. That’s not going to happen. Nobody has more time together than Donny’s team.

“That’s why Brad Sweet is so good now,” McMahan added. “He’s been with Kasey Kahne a long time and has a good crew to go with some good cars. You reap the benefits seven or eight years later but most owners won’t wait that long. My owner now, Tom Buch, is pretty easy going, so life is good.”