NFL star accused of sexual assault by two attendants on London flight

Two women have filed a civil lawsuit in Florida accusing NFL kicker Brandon McManus of sexually assaulting them while they worked as flight attendants on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ trans-Atlantic trip to London last year.

The lawsuit, which was filed Friday and made available on the Duval County Circuit Court’s public records database on Tuesday, names McManus and the team as defendants and seeks in excess of $1 million in damages. The women, identified as Jane Doe I and Jane Doe II, allege in court documents that McManus tried to kiss one of them and grinded and rubbed up against both of them while they were trying to perform their work responsibilities during the September 28 flight.

Tony Buzbee, the lawyer who represented two dozen women who accused Deshaun Watson of sexual assault or harassment, said he is the lead counsel representing the women. Buzbee wrote on social media that he and his clients attempted to resolve the matter without litigation.

“Our efforts at resolution were met with arrogance, ignorance and stupidity, strikingly similar to how Deshaun Watson’s team responded when we tried to resolve those cases pre-filing,” Buzbee wrote on Instagram. “The allegations made in this lawsuit are very serious. We made sure to fully vet them and speak with witnesses before even taking the cases.”

Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said he was not aware of the allegations until the lawsuit became public on Monday.

“Obviously disappointing to hear the news that took place,” Pederson said. “A typical flight is not that way. It’s a business trip. It’s a business trip, and that’s how we approach it from an organisational standpoint, from the league standpoint. So when I read that, that part of it is disappointing.”

McManus’ lawyer on Monday called them “absolutely fictitious and demonstrably false allegations.”

“We intend to aggressively defend Brandon’s rights and integrity and clear his name by showing what these claims truly are – an extortion attempt,” Brett R Gallaway of McLaughlin & Stern said in a statement sent to the AP on Monday evening.

McManus, who turns 33 in July, signed with the Washington Commanders in March. The Philadelphia native has been in the league for a decade, the first nine seasons with the Denver Broncos, after playing at Temple.

A Commanders spokesperson said the team is looking into the situation and has spoken with McManus’ agent and the NFL office, adding, “We take allegations of this nature very seriously.”

The Jaguars said they were aware of the complaint and acknowledged the significance of the claims being made.

“As we continue to look into the matter, it bears emphasising that we insist on an organisation built by people who represent our community and game with the highest character and class,” the Jaguars said in a statement.

– Associated Press