Brandon McManus Allegations Put NFL in Tricky Situation

In most cases involving allegations of off-field misconduct against a player, the NFL's mission is simple. Find the facts and, if the player violated the personal conduct policy, drop the hammer.

As to new allegations against former Jaguars (now Commanders) kicker Brandon McManus, the NFL is in a tough spot. Given that the Jaguars were also sued for failing to supervise McManus and create a safe environment during the flight to London, the team's front-line defense will, ideally, be that McManus did nothing wrong. If the NFL takes this position off the table, it will be harder for the Jaguars to win in court.

So, which one will it be for 345 Park Avenue? Minimize the situation to help the Jaguars? Or aggressively investigate/discipline McManus and damn the legal torpedoes?

There's a perfect moment in which the league finds out that McManus did it in a way that absolves the Jaguars. It won't be easy. And the effort will be pretty obvious, if that happens.

This is a common problem for employers who face lawsuits due to the alleged misconduct of certain employees. There is a strong temptation to circle the wagons and deny, deny, deny until the end of the trial, because the desire to protect the coffers outweighs the policies in place to protect colleagues and third parties from any misbehavior.