Women file amended complaint against NFL kicker Brandon McManus alleging sexual assault
FILE - Jacksonville Jaguars place kicker Brandon McManus (10) during an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Jan. 7, 2024 in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)
Two women who sued NFL kicker Brandon McManus alleging he sexually assaulted them last year when they were serving as flight attendants on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ flight to London filed an amended complaint on Friday that includes their names.
Earlier this week, a judge dismissed the women’s initial lawsuit, ruling it did not rise to the “exceptional” criteria required for anonymity.
The amended complaint filed in Duval County, Florida, includes new allegations against the team, saying the plane was separated into two levels, allowing for inappropriate behavior to take place, and that rules such as a ban on alcohol consumption were not enforced.
“As a result of the Jaguars’ non-enforcement of policy, defendant Brandon McManus drank alcohol to the point that he got drunk, along with others, and ultimately sexually assaulted both plaintiffs,” the complaint reads. “Due to the Jaguars’ in-flight policy and procedure — or lack thereof — and implicit instructions to the flight crew to not intervene in said conduct, the Jaguars as well as McManus are directly responsible for this occurrence.”
The Jaguars declined comment.
An attorney representing McManus called it “a classic shakedown” with fictitious claims and questioned the plaintiffs’ credibility.
“Nothing about this re-filing changes our position that this is a pure smear campaign,” Brett Gallaway said in a statement. “Brandon does not know these two women and vehemently denies ever engaging in the alleged conduct. Now that the names of the plaintiffs are public, we look forward to what we anticipate will be dispositive discovery and deposition testimony ultimately resulting in Brandon’s full exoneration.”
Gallaway on Thursday also filed a request for admissions from the plaintiffs.
Daisy Torres and Nicole Anderson allege in court documents initially filed in late May under the pseudonyms Jane Doe I and Jane Doe II that McManus tried to kiss one of them and grinded and rubbed up against both while they were trying to perform their work responsibilities during the Sept. 28, 2023, trans-Atlantic flight. They are seeking more than $1 million in damages.
The Associated Press typically does not reveal the names of people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they publicly identify themselves, as Torres and Anderson now have.
The suit claims the trip “quickly turned into a party” as McManus and other players disregarded the flight attendants’ personal space, air travel safety and federal law. The women said McManus passed out $100 bills to encourage them and other flight attendants to drink and dance inappropriately.
Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said during the spring he was not aware of the allegations until the lawsuit became public.
McManus signed a one-year contract with Washington as a free agent in March. The Commanders released him in early June, shortly after the initial lawsuit was filed, and the 33-year-old remains a free agent.
___
AP Pro Football Writer Mark Long in Jacksonville, Florida, contributed to this report.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl