NFL kicker Brandon McManus reportedly is being sued by two women for alleged sexual assault that occurred while the Jacksonville Jaguars were traveling to London for their overseas games last season.
“The two women — identified as Jane Doe I and Jane Doe II in the lawsuit filed Friday night in Duval County Circuit Civil Court — accuse McManus of rubbing himself against them and grinding against them,” wrote Michael DiRocco of ESPN. “They also accuse the Jaguars of failing to supervise McManus and failing to create a safe environment for staff serving the team.”
The women are suing both McManus and the Jaguars organization and reportedly are seeking more than $1 million.
Last season was the first for McManus as a member of the Jaguars, who have played at least one NFL game in London annually since 2013 (excluding 2020). The 32-year-old played his first nine seasons for the Denver Broncos before signing with Jacksonville in May 2023.
He is now a member of the Washington Commanders after signing with them as a free agent this offseason. His one-year contract reportedly is worth $3.6 million.
According to court documents obtained by ESPN, the women were flight attendants on a charter flight in late-September taking the Jaguars to England. They allege that McManus and several other players disregarded their personal space.
“Doe I accuses McManus of trying to kiss her while she was seated during a session of turbulence and twice grinding up against her while she was serving the flight’s two meal services, per the lawsuit,” wrote DiRocco. “Doe I alleges during the first assault she made eye contact with another Jaguars player, whom she said looked ashamed of McManus’ behavior.
“Doe II alleges that McManus grinded up against her while she was serving the flight’s second meal service. Per the lawsuit, Doe II confronted McManus, who ‘smirked and walked away.’ The lawsuit says Doe II remained in the aircraft’s second story to avoid McManus on the team’s flight from London to Jacksonville on Oct. 8.”
The women have experienced “severe mental anguish, anxiety, psychological and emotional distress, embarrassment and humiliation.” Furthermore, they’ve been removed from the core crew that staffs charter flights for the Jaguars.
The Jaguars are being accused of committing “gross negligence by failing to properly hire McManus, train him about inappropriate and sexual contact with flight staff, supervise him on the flight, adopt policies and procedures to protect flight staff from sexual misconduct by its employees, and enforcing a zero-tolerance policy regarding inappropriate behavior.”
Jacksonville played two games in London in the same season for the first time, on Oct. 1 against the Atlanta Flacons and Oct. 8 against the Buffalo Bills. The Jaguars won both games, which were played at Wembley Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, respectively.
McManus went 4-for-4 in field-goal attempts in the two games, including three against the Falcons.
The two victories in London gave the Jaguars a 3-2 record and launched a five-game winning streak that pushed their mark to 6-2. However, after improving to 8-3, Jacksonville lost five of its last six contests to finish 9-8 and missed out on the playoffs.
Last season for the Jaguars, McManus made 30 of 37 field-goal attempts and all 35 of his extra-point tries. For his career, he has been successful on 81.4 percent of his field-goal attempts, including 45 made attempts of 50-plus yards.
The Jaguars have not commented on the matter publicly as of yet. The Commanders, however, released a statement.
“Earlier today, we were made aware of the civil lawsuit filed on May 24 against Brandon McManus,” a Commanders spokesperson said. “We take allegations of this nature very seriously and are looking into the matter. We have been in communication with the League Office and Brandon’s representation, and will reserve further comment at this time.”
It also is unknown if the NFL will get involved in the matter or possibly issue a punishment to McManus or the Jaguars going forward. Last summer, the league expanded the sexual assault portion of its personal conduct policy.
The Jaguars are scheduled to return to London during the 2024 NFL season for games against the Chicago Bears on Oct. 13 and New England Patriots on Oct. 20.
