According to Yahoo Sports, the Pats did provide themselves a legal buffer with a clause in the contract AB signed.
Whether Brown ends up being set aside from the field by the league or not, at least one thing is clear: New England has language in his contract that could void all of the $9 million in guarantees from his one-year, $15 million deal. According to a source with access to the contract, the specific clause is tied to “undermining” the public image of the club. The clause, which was sent to Yahoo Sports, reads:
“If at any time prior to the end of the 2019 League Year, Player: … takes any action that materially undermines the public’s respect for, or is materially critical of, the Club, Player’s teammates or the Club’s ownership, coaches, management, operations or policies then, upon election of the Club, the guarantees set forth in this section 27 will be null and void, whether or not any such guarantee otherwise had been earned in accordance with the terms thereof.”If the Patriots were to invoke that clause as having been violated by this week’s lawsuit, it’s believed the team could waive Brown with no penalties. Whether or not that is a consideration might ultimately hinge on the information that becomes available in the next few days —whether coming from Brown, his accuser or the talks between the NFL and both of those parties.
Pretty self explanatory. Particularly the part, "Whether or not that is a consideration might ultimately hinge on the information that becomes available in the next few days - whether coming from Brown, his accuser or the talks between the NFL and both of those parties."
So it would seem that the language in the Pat's contract doesn't distinguish between a civil or criminal case. But I'm obviously not a legal expert on the matter.