Lawyer: Allegations against Brandon McManus ‘completely fictional’

Commanders player Brandon McManus has been accused of sexual assault by two flight attendants on the plane that took his former team, the Jaguars, to London during the 2023 season. McManus, through his lawyer, has denied the allegations.

“To be clear,” said attorney Brett R. Galloway (via Sam Fortier of Washington Post),”These are completely fictitious and patently false claims It was conducted as part of a campaign to discredit and disparage a talented and respected NFL player. “We intend to vigorously defend Brandon’s rights and integrity and clear his name by showing the truth of these allegations – an extortion attempt.”

Generally, few, if any, civil defendants hire an attorney to say to the world in the wake of filing a lawsuit: “Yes, I did that.” In this case, the denial is strong and sweeping and extends beyond simply saying it didn’t happen to presenting a blackmail motive to two different people and their attorneys.

If it’s made up, the truth will prove it. Now that a lawsuit has been filed, both sides will have a chance to prove their case. Prosecutors will tell their story. McManus will tell him. Witnesses will help move the needle one way or another. Barring a settlement, the jury will decide who is telling the truth, given the low level of preponderance of the evidence/most likely.

The suggestion that it was an extortion attempt raises the question of whether plaintiffs had previously tried to get money from McManus to settle the claims. That’s what happened with the person who accused Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott of sexual assault. Prescott and his attorneys chose the very aggressive move of suing the alleged victim and her attorney.

If McManus was previously notified of this claim, the next question becomes whether he would have disclosed it to the Jaguars, the Chiefs or the NFL. On this point, the Personal Conduct Policy contains a clear and unambiguous requirement: “Clubs and players are obligated to promptly report any matter that comes to their knowledge (through, for example, victim or witness reports, law enforcement, civil proceedings, or media) reports) that may constitute a violation of this policy.”

If McManus had been notified of these claims as an attempt at settlement before filing suit (which is all too common in the legal profession), he arguably had a duty to disclose them. If he knew this before signing a contract with the Commanders that included $1.5 million in guarantees at signing, this would likely become a separate issue.

There are two different issues here. First, did he do what he was accused of? Second, when he first learned of the allegation, did he report it immediately? 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 all the time.

So these are the issues at the moment. Did this happen? The judicial system will solve that. Did McManus comply with the reporting requirements of the Personal Conduct Policy? It depends on facts that have not yet been revealed.