Flight attendants accuse NFL players of sexually harassing them during a team flight last season

FLORIDA (AP) – Two women have filed a civil lawsuit in Florida accusing NFL kicker Brandon McManus of sexually harassing them while they worked as flight attendants on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ transatlantic flight to London last year.

The lawsuit, filed Friday and posted in the Duval County Circuit Court database Tuesday, names McManus and the team as defendants and seeks more than $1 million in damages. The women, identified as Jane Doe I and Jane Doe II, claim in court documents that McManus attempted to kiss one of them and rubbed and ground himself against both of them while they attempted to perform their work duties during the Sept. 28 flight.

Tony Buzbee, the attorney who represented two dozen women who accused Deshaun Watson of sexual abuse or harassment, said he was the lead attorney representing the women. Buzbee wrote on social media that he and his clients had tried to resolve the matter without going to trial.

“Our efforts to resolve the case were met with arrogance, ignorance and stupidity, strikingly similar to the response from Deshaun Watson’s team when we attempted to resolve these cases prior to filing,” Buzbee wrote on Instagram. “The allegations made in this lawsuit are very serious. We thoroughly reviewed them and spoke with witnesses before even taking the cases.”

Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said he did not know about the allegations until the lawsuit became public on Monday.

“Obviously it was disappointing to hear that news,” Pederson said. “A normal flight is not like that. It’s a business trip. It’s a business trip and that’s how we handle it from an organizational standpoint and from a league standpoint. When I read that, that part of it is disappointing.”

McManus’ lawyer described them on Monday as “absolutely fabricated and demonstrably false allegations.”

“We intend to vigorously defend Brandon’s rights and integrity and clear his name by showing what these allegations really are – an extortion attempt,” Brett R. Gallaway of McLaughlin & Stern said in a statement sent to AP 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, spending the first nine seasons with the Denver Broncos after playing at Temple.

A Commanders spokesman said the team is reviewing the situation and has spoken with McManus’ agent and the NFL office. He added: “We take allegations of this nature very seriously.”

The Jaguars said they were aware of the complaint and recognized the significance of the allegations made.

“As we continue to investigate the matter, it must be emphasized that we insist on an organization built by people who represent our community and our game with the highest character and class,” the Jaguars said in a statement.

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AP Sports Writer Mark Long in Jacksonville, Florida, contributed to this report.

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