CW: This story contains instances of sexual harassment.
Brandon McManus faces lawsuit over sexual assault allegations on team flight with Jaguars
Everything we know about the accusations against Commanders kicker Brandon McManus.
Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports
On Monday, ESPN’s Michael DiRocco reported that two women have accused current Commanders kicker Brandon McManus of sexual assault, and are suing him and the Jacksonville Jaguars for failing to create a safe environment for the team. The two women are being represented by Tony Buzbee, who also represented the women who sued Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson.
According to court documents obtained by ESPN, while McManus was a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, he allegedly acted in an inappropriate way towards two flight attendants on the Jaguars’ Atlas Air Worldwide charter flight. The two flight attendants accuse McManus and other Jaguars players of “creating an unsafe environment” and disregarded the attendants’ personal space and air safety laws. Among the things McManus is accused of:
- Recruiting three other flight attendants to their party and giving them $100 to encourage them to drink and dance inappropriately.
- Trying to kiss a flight attendant when she was seated during a moment of turbulence, and grinding up against her twice while serving meals on the flight.
- The second flight attendant accuses McManus of grinding up against her and then walking away. According to the documents, when the second attendant confronted McManus about his actions, he “smirked and walked away”.
The lawsuit also alleges that the Jaguars committed gross negligence by failing to properly hire McManus, failing to train him on inappropriate sexual conduct with flight staff, and adopting policies to prevent sexual misconduct on flights directed towards flight staff. The Jaguars released a statement on Monday night, saying “We’re aware of the complaint, and we acknowledge the significance of the claims,” the team said. “As we continue to look into the matter, it bears emphasizing that we insist on an organization built by people who represent our community and game with the highest character and class.”
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said today after Jacksonville’s Tuesday workout that he found out about these allegations in the ESPN article that released, calling the news “disappointing”.
McManus was not re-signed by the Jaguars this offseason, and ended up signing a one-year deal with the Washington Commanders. The Commanders had this to say about the lawsuit: “Earlier today, we were made aware of the civil lawsuit filed on May 24 against Brandon McManus. We take allegations of this nature very seriously and are looking into the matter. We have been in communication with the League Office and Brandon’s representation, and will reserve further comment at this time.”
The women are seeking an excess of $1 million and demanding a jury trial.
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