The Washington Commanders said on Monday they were made aware of a lawsuit filed in civil court last week accusing the kicker Brandon McManus of sexual assault, and the Jacksonville Jaguars acknowledged they were also being sued.
A Commanders spokesperson said the team was looking into the situation and had spoken with McManus’s agent and the NFL office, adding: “We take allegations of this nature very seriously.”
ESPN reported two women were suing McManus for sexually assaulting them during a charter flight to London last year when he was playing for the Jaguars, who said they were aware of the complaint and the significance of the claims being made.
“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,” the Jaguars said in a statement.
Citing court documents that have not yet been posted on Duval county’s public records database, ESPN reports the women – identified as Jane Doe I and Jane Doe II – are accusing McManus of rubbing and grinding against them during the flight and the Jaguars of failing to supervise him and create a safe environment for staff serving the team. They are seeking more than $1m and asking for a jury trial, according to ESPN.
McManus’s lawyer called them “absolutely fictitious and demonstrably false allegations”.
“We intend to aggressively defend Brandon’s rights and integrity and clear his name by showing what these claims truly are – an extortion attempt,” Brett R Gallaway of McLaughlin & Stern said in a statement sent to the Associated Press.
McManus, who turns 33 in July, signed with Washington in March. The Philadelphia native has been in the league for a decade, the first nine seasons with the Denver Broncos, after playing at Temple.