Commanders mutilated Brandon McManus after sexual assault trial

The Washington Commanders have released kicker Brandon McManus, days after a lawsuit against him was made public alleging sexual assault stemming from an incident while he was a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Washington Commanders announced. team on Sunday.

Washington had signed McManus to a one-year, $3.6 million contract this offseason, opting not to re-sign Joey Slye. On Monday, the day ESPN reported the lawsuit, a Commanders spokesperson said the team was aware of the situation and was in contact with the NFL as well as McManus' representation.

“We take allegations of this nature very seriously,” the commanders said in a statement.

Under previous owner Dan Snyder, Washington was the subject of several investigations stemming from a toxic work culture that included allegations of sexual harassment. The NFL ultimately fined the organization $10 million. Snyder was accused of sexual misconduct by a former team employee and was fined $60 million after a 17-month investigation by attorney Mary Jo White. Its findings support claims that commanders hid income that was supposed to be shared with other teams. White also backed up claims that Snyder sexually harassed former employee Tiffani Johnston.

Snyder sold the team to a group led by Josh Harris in July 2023.

In the lawsuit filed against McManus and the Jaguars, two women allege he sexually assaulted them during the overseas flight from Jacksonville to London last year, according to court documents obtained by ESPN.

McManus, through his attorney Brett R. Gallaway, released a statement Sunday evening, first making sure to “thank the commanders in Washington for the opportunity to be part of the organization.”

“However, we reiterate that the allegations against Brandon are and remain absolutely false and, importantly, are contradicted by indisputable evidence and by the accusers' own inconsistent prior statements and omissions. While we are disappointed in the team's decision to release Brandon before he has the chance To defend ourselves against these fabricated allegations, we will aggressively defend and clear Brandon's name and reputation through the legal process. “We intend to reject these allegations, to exonerate him completely and we look forward to seeing him back on the ground where he belongs.”

The women — identified as Jane Doe I and Jane Doe II in the lawsuit filed May 24 in Duval County Circuit Civil Court — accuse McManus of rubbing up against them and rubbing up against them. They also accuse the Jaguars of failing to supervise McManus and failing to create a safe environment for team personnel.

The lawsuit says the September flight was the first Jaguar charter both women worked on and that they experienced severe mental anguish, anxiety, psychological and emotional distress, embarrassment and humiliation. They were removed from the core crew that operates Jaguar's charter flights, something they worked hard to achieve, according to the lawsuit.

They are seeking more than $1 million and demanding a jury trial. In a statement released last week, Gallaway called the allegations “absolutely fictitious” and “blatantly false allegations.” Gallaway also called the affair an “extortion attempt.”

Attorney Tony Buzbee, who represents both women, said on Instagram that “prior to this filing, we attempted, unsuccessfully, to resolve this matter without resorting to trial. Our resolution efforts were met with strikingly similar arrogance, ignorance and stupidity. to how Deshaun Watson's team responded when we tried to resolve these cases before filing. The allegations made in this lawsuit are very serious. We made sure to review them thoroughly and speak to witnesses before even pursuing this case. the same tenacity we are known for. It's a shame that this type of behavior still happens too often. These women were just trying to do their jobs!

Over his first 10 seasons – nine of which were with Denver – McManus made 81.4% of his field goal attempts and 97.2% of his extra points. In 2023 with Jacksonville, he was 30 of 37 on field goals and made all 35 of his extra point attempts.

ESPN Senior Writer Adam Schefter and ESPN Managing Editor Michael DiRocco contributed to this report.