Brandon McManus faces trial over sexual assault allegations during team flight with Jaguars

CW: This story contains instances of sexual harassment.

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. Both women are represented by Tony Buzbee, who also represented the women who sued Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.

According to court documents obtained by ESPN, while McManus was a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, he allegedly acted inappropriately toward 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 ignoring laws regarding flight attendants' personal space and aviation safety. Among the things McManus is accused of:

• Recruit three other flight attendants to their party and give them $100 to encourage them to drink and dance inappropriately.
• Trying to kiss a flight attendant while she was seated during a moment of turbulence, and rubbing against her twice while she was serving meals during the flight.
• The second flight attendant accuses McManus of bumping into her and then walking away. According to the documents, when the second attendant confronted McManus about his actions, he “smiled 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 behavior with flight attendants, and adopting policies intended to prevent sexual misconduct on flights intended for the airline. cabin crew. The Jaguars released a statement Monday evening, saying, “We are aware of the complaint and recognize the significance of the claims,” the team said. “As we continue to study the matter, it is worth emphasizing that we insist on an organization built by people who represent our community and our game with the highest character and class.”

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said today after Jacksonville's practice Tuesday that he found out about the allegations in the published ESPN article, 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. Commanders had this to say about the lawsuit: “Earlier today we were informed of the civil lawsuit filed on May 24 against Brandon McManus. We take allegations of this nature very seriously and are investigating the matter. We have been in communication with the League office and Brandon representation, and will reserve further comment at this time.

The women are seeking more than $1 million and demanding a jury trial.