Lawyer: Allegations against Brandon McManus are ‘absolutely fictitious’

Commanders kicker Brandon McManus was accused of sexual assault by two flight attendants on the plane that was taking his former team, the Jaguars, to London during the 2023 season. McManus, through his lawyer, denied these allegations.

“To be clear,” said attorney Brett R. Gallaway (via Sam Fortier of Washington Post), “These are absolutely fictitious and blatantly false allegations. made as part of a campaign to defame and denigrate a talented and respected NFL player. We intend to aggressively defend Brandon’s rights and integrity and clear his name by exposing what these claims really are: an extortion attempt.

Generally speaking, few, if any, civil defendants hire a lawyer to tell the world, right after the complaint is filed, “Yes, I did it.” In this case, the denial is strong and radical and goes beyond the simple assertion that there was no motive to extort two different people and their lawyers.

If it’s made up, the facts will bear it out. Now that a complaint has been filed, both parties will have the opportunity to prove their case. The plaintiffs will tell their story. McManus will say so. Witnesses will help move the needle in one direction or the other. Barring a settlement, a jury will decide who is telling the truth, based on low preponderance of evidence/more likely than not.

The suggestion that this is an extortion attempt raises the question of whether the plaintiffs have ever attempted to obtain payment from McManus in settlement of the claims. That’s what happened to the person accusing Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott of sexual assault. Prescott and his attorneys opted for the ultra-aggressive move of suing the alleged victim and her attorneys.

If McManus was already aware of the claim, the next question is whether he disclosed it to the Jaguars, the Commanders or the NFL. On this point, the Personal Conduct Policy contains a clear and unambiguous requirement: “Clubs and players are required to promptly report any issues brought to their attention (for example, through victim or witness reports, law enforcement, civil litigation or the media). reports) that may constitute a violation of this policy.

If McManus had known about the claims as part of an attempted settlement before the lawsuit was filed (which is very common in the legal profession), he arguably had a duty to disclose them. If he knew about it before signing a contract with the Commanders that has $1.5 million in signing guarantees, it could potentially become a separate issue.

There are two different problems here. First, did he do what he is accused of? Second, when he became aware of the complaint, did he promptly report it? It doesn’t matter if he denies it. It doesn’t matter if he really didn’t do it. If so, the NFL will enforce the policy as written.

We know from experience that this is not something that happens systematically.

So those are the problems for now. Did it happen ? The justice system will solve this problem. Has McManus complied with the reporting requirements of the Personal Conduct Policy? It depends on facts that have not yet been disclosed.