Tag: sexual assault

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) throws as Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) closes in during the first half of an NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Deshaun Watson’s accuser plans to meet with NFL

Posted on | by Field Level Media

A woman suing Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson intends to cooperate with the NFL as it reviews her allegations of sexual assault and battery, her attorney told ESPN.

The unidentified woman filed the civil lawsuit in Harris County, Texas, on Monday. She alleges that Watson assaulted her on a dinner date at her apartment in October 2020 when he played for the Houston Texans.

“We will be scheduling a meeting with the NFL and hope that can be accomplished in the next two weeks,” attorney Tony Buzbee wrote in an email to ESPN. “We have a video and two additional witnesses for the NFL to speak with. I’ve personally never had confidence in the NFL’s disciplinary process but my client has chosen to engage it.”

Buzbee represented two dozen other women who filed sexual misconduct lawsuits against Watson, which reportedly occurred during massage sessions. He settled 23 of the cases out of court.

The NFL is reviewing the most recent complaint to see if Watson violated its personal conduct policy. He has not been put on the commissioner’s exempt list since the investigation is only in the early stages, and Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Watson will start against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

Watson, who turns 29 on Saturday, issued a statement through his attorney, denying the woman’s claims.

This lawsuit is the latest legal trouble for Watson. In 2021, he sat out the season as allegations of sexual misconduct emerged with the first lawsuit filed against him in March.

After the Texans traded him to the Browns in a blockbuster deal, Watson served an 11-game suspension in the 2022 season and was fined $5 million.

The Browns signed Watson to a five-year, $230 million contract extension — fully guaranteed.

The suspension and injuries have limited Watson to just 13 starts over two-plus seasons in Cleveland.

With the Browns, he has completed 59.1 percent of his passes for 2,386 yards with 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

–Field Level Media

Dec 31, 2023; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars punter Logan Cooke (9) holds the ball andnkicker Brandon McManus (10) make the field goal against the Carolina Panthers in the second quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images

Judge: Accusers of ex-Jags K Brandon McManus must drop pseudonyms

Posted on | by Field Level Media

A Florida circuit court judge dismissed a lawsuit Monday alleging that former Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus sexually assaulted two women on a team flight last year.

But McManus’ accusers plan to re-file their case without the use of pseudonyms Jane Doe I and Jane Doe II, their attorney told ESPN.

According to court documents obtained by multiple outlets, Judge Michael S. Sharrit granted a motion to dismiss the lawsuit because under Florida law, anonymous filings of lawsuits “should be reserved for those exceptional circumstances that outweigh the public interest in open proceedings.” Sharrit also said that “fairness requires” the plaintiffs to “stand behind their charges publicly in the same way Defendant McManus must openly refute them.”

The judge ruled that the women have 10 days to amend their lawsuit using their names. Attorney Tony Buzbee told ESPN that that’s what they plan to do.

“Most defendants in sexual assault cases file these types of motions thinking that the victims won’t proceed if they have to publicly reveal their names,” Buzbee told ESPN in a statement. “We anticipated this ruling. To be clear, these women have no intention to run and hide, and will comply with the court’s order in a timely fashion. We look forward to continuing to pursue this important case.”

“We are very pleased with the court’s order in connection with Mr. McManus’ motion to dismiss these baseless allegations,” McManus’ attorney, Brett Gallaway, said in a statement. “We look forward to him returning to the NFL playing field as soon as possible.”

McManus is accused of rubbing and grinding against two women who were staffing a team flight to London for a game in the 2023 season. Jane Doe I said McManus tried to kiss her and Jane Doe II said McManus “smirked and walked away” after she confronted him about grinding against her.

The Jaguars are also named in the lawsuit, as the women claim the team did not provide a safe working environment on the flight.

The lawsuit was filed in May, after McManus had signed a one-year, $3.6 million deal with the Washington Commanders. The Commanders soon released him, though it was later reported that the team paid out his full signing bonus.

McManus, 33, spent the first nine seasons of his NFL career with the Denver Broncos before joining Jacksonville in 2023. He is not currently signed to a team for the upcoming season.

–Field Level Media

Jan 14, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) walks off the field after losing in the 2024 NFC wild card game against the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott accused of sexual assault after filing extortion suit

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is being investigated for an alleged sexual assault in 2017 related to the extortion lawsuit he filed on Monday that claims the woman demanded money to remain quiet about the allegation.

The woman filed a criminal complaint Tuesday and Dallas police are investigating her claim that Prescott sexually assaulted her in the back of an SUV in the parking lot of a strip club, XTC Cabaret, on Feb. 2, 2017. Attorneys representing the accuser claim Prescott’s representatives acknowledge they were together on the night of the alleged incident.

Prescott’s lawsuit, which was filed in Collin County, lists the female accuser and her attorneys. Prescott claims they demanded $100 million for her silence in a letter he received in January.

The Dallas Police Department is investigating claims of sexual assault, and authorities in Prosper, Texas, began an extortion investigation one day before the alleged victim reported the alleged sexual assault.

“Mr. Prescott, a new father to a baby girl, has great empathy for survivors of sexual assault,” attorney Levi McCathern, who is representing Prescott, said in a statement to ESPN. “He fervently believes that all perpetrators of such crimes should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. To be clear, Mr. Prescott has never engaged in any nonconsensual sexual conduct with anyone. Lies hurt. Especially malicious lies. We will not allow the defendant and her legal team to profit from this attempt to extort millions from Mr. Prescott.”

Prescott, 30, was drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State.

He’s now entering his ninth season and the final season of a four-year, $160 million contract he signed in 2021. Prescott’s salary-cap figure in 2024 is $59.5 million and the Cowboys reportedly have held preliminary discussions regarding a long-term extension.

Nine quarterbacks have signed contracts with higher total values since Prescott and the Cowboys completed their existing agreement.

–Field Level Media

Punter Matt Araiza sends one downfield on the opening day of the Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University in Rochester Sunday, July 24, 2022. Sd 072422 Bills Camp 17 Spts

Report: Matt Araiza not present at time of alleged assault

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Punter Matt Araiza, who lost his NFL job after being implicated in an alleged gang rape, wasn’t present when the alleged incident occurred, Yahoo reported.

The outlet reviewed a transcript of more than 200 pages that reports what prosecutors in San Diego told the young woman and her attorneys as to why charges weren’t pressed.

The woman told police that Araiza and two teammates at San Diego State were at a party on Oct. 15, 2021, when Araiza walked her into a bedroom where “at least three other men” were waiting for her, according to a civil lawsuit she filed. Then 17, she said Araiza threw her on the bed and was part of a gang rape over a 90-minute period.

In her lawsuit, she acknowledged she had been drinking and said she was “in and out of consciousness” during the alleged assault.

San Diego police investigated her allegations for almost 10 months before giving the case to the district attorney without recommending prosecution.

The Buffalo Bills selected Araiza with the first pick of the sixth round in the 2022 draft. A prolific punter in college, he earned the starting job in preseason, during which he sent one punt sailing 82 yards in a game.

Soon after, the allegations emerged, and the Bills cut Araiza, 22. No team signed him, even after prosecutors announced last Dec. 7 that they wouldn’t be filing charges.

Few details emerged about their decision until Monday. The biggest takeaway from the Yahoo report was that the investigation by prosecutors determined Araiza left the premises about an hour before the time of the alleged assault.

“He wasn’t even at the party anymore,” deputy district attorney Trisha Amador explained to the alleged victim, per the Yahoo report. Later, Amador said, “All I know is that at that point, suspect Araiza is gone from the party.”

Also, prosecutors told the young woman that they had reviewed video recordings of the alleged incident and couldn’t determine that anything other than consensual sex with the other men in the room had taken place.

The attorney for the accuser, Dan Gilleon, told Fox News Digital that he intends to forge ahead with the civil suit and that his client will not be “bullied.”

“This case is going to trial, and we’ll force Araiza to talk,” Gilleon told Fox.

Some witnesses in the investigation have said the young woman didn’t appear to be intoxicated and that she told some of the people at the party that she was 18, per the report. It also indicated that the woman told her friends that night that she had consensual sex with at least two men at the party before the alleged assault.

–Field Level Media

May 25, 2022; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) throws a pass during organized team activities at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Deshaun Watson faces 23rd civil lawsuit for sexual misconduct

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is facing a 23rd active civil lawsuit, filed Tuesday by attorney Tony Buzbee on behalf of a plaintiff in Texas.

The plaintiff said that Watson’s legal team made “an effort to intimidate her” by reaching out and saying that Watson’s lawyers would fight the cases. She did not decide to file suit originally, but changed her mind, according to the suit, after two of Watson’s accusers appeared on HBO’s “Real Sports” last week.

“In that piece, plaintiff was struck by the courage of the victims willing to step forward and speak and was extremely displeased by Watson and his legal team’s mistreatment and revictimizations of the plaintiffs,” the lawsuit stated. “But it was Watson himself claiming that even now he has ‘no regrets’ and has done nothing wrong that solidified her resolve. She brings this case seeking minimum compensation, but to obtain a court finding that Watson’s conduct was wrong.”

The plaintiff said she began working as a massage therapist for Watson in the summer of 2020. Watson allegedly exposed himself to the plaintiff during the third and final session, touched her between her legs and “repeatedly requested” to have sex.

Two Texas grand juries declined to indict Watson in March. The Houston Texans traded him to Cleveland that month, and the Browns gave him a record $230 million in guaranteed money on a five-year deal.

“Today we filed suit for the 23rd plaintiff in this litigation,” Buzbee said in a statement. “Other cases may come. The Watson defense team has vilified these women and this cause. Shame on them! We look forward to trying this case in court.”

According to ESPN, the Browns did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest suit.

–Field Level Media

Dec 28, 2019; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Derrius Guice before the 2019 Peach Bowl college football playoff semifinal game between the LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

NFL suspends free agent RB Derrius Guice 6 games

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Former Washington Football Team running back Derrius Guice was suspended for the first six games of the NFL season Friday, stemming from his domestic violence arrest last year.

Guice, currently a free agent, was arrested Aug. 7, 2020 on one count of felony strangulation, three counts of assault and battery and one count of destruction of property. Prosecutors later dropped the felony charge, and the other charges were dismissed in June when Guice and his accuser reached a settlement.

A 2018 second-round draft pick by Washington, the team released him hours after his arrest.

Two women have also accused Guice of sexual assault while he was a student at LSU, among other allegations of sexual misconduct.

Following an investigation, LSU announced in April it was wiping out Guice’s records from the football program and was banning him from future involvement with the school.

Guice only appeared in five games for Washington due to multiple injuries, including an ACL tear suffered during a preseason game that wiped out his rookie year.

–Field Level Media