Attorney Tony Buzbee said Tuesday that an effort was made to resolve the claims made against former Jaguars (now Commanders) kicker Brandon McManus before the lawsuit was initiated last Friday.
We’ve gathered some information about the communications that happened before the civil complaint was filed, through discussions with multiple sources.
McManus was contacted last week, with a letter that communicated the claims made by two Atlas Air flight attendants and that invited McManus to participate in mediation, which is a non-binding effort to resolve disputes. No monetary amount was mentioned in the effort to settle the case before trial.
McManus, through his lawyer, pointed out perceived flaws in the facts and asked for a monetary demand with the goal of potentially negotiating a compromise. The plaintiffs instead filed suit on Friday.
McManus has denied wrongdoing. His attorney called the claims “absolutely fictitious” and called McManus the victim of “extortion.”
While not relevant to the case, the fact that McManus first learned of the claims last week suggests that McManus didn’t fail to disclose the situation to the Jaguars or the NFL. It also will make it harder for the Commanders to claim that McManus concealed the situation from them, when he was signed to a one-year, $3.6 million contract with $1.5 million fully guaranteed.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is entering his fourth season, his third under head coach Doug Pederson.
During his Tuesday press conference, Pederson said that Lawrence has done a good job progressing in his leadership, saying that the quarterback is “becoming the vocal leader in the locker room, on the field, in meetings.”
“He’s engaging,” Pederson said. “When we got him three years ago, he was just learning our system and kind of quiet and just trying to go through the motions a little bit of just trying to adapt to us and get a feel for us. Now he’s engaging and giving us ideas. Now he’s giving us suggestions and ideas and really becoming another coach, a set of eyes on the field.
“That’s just his growth, that is his development as a quarterback and not changing a lot schematically. Repetition goes a long way, and utilizing that repetition to benefit your football team. That’s where Trevor has really taken the next step. Now, it’s got to translate on the field, right, into wins and losses and touchdowns versus INTs. But that’s where I’ve seen the biggest growth in the few years that we’ve been together.”
Lawrence did take some steps back in terms of his performance in throwing 14 interceptions in 16 games. But Pederson noted that it does take a few seasons for a quarterback to get to exactly where he needs to be.
“I learned this back when I went to Green Bay as a player under Mike Holmgren. It takes us it takes three to four years. It takes that time to develop into the quarterback that you want to become or you want for your team,” Pederson said. “And it’s just not an overnight deal. It’s not a plug-and-play deal. Some teams, some guys are going to have success, but there is that just understanding the game and learning the game and studying the game.
“For Trevor, he’s now into that third year with us, and so that part I think for us it’s the encouraging part as an offensive staff and just myself now going into that third year. This is kind of this jump year that he can have moving forward.”
Since leaving Jacksonville in free agency in the spring of 2020, edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue has played for five teams. He’s hoping to make it a sixth for this season.
Ngakoue, though, remains a free agent.
He made only four sacks and seven quarterback hits in 13 games in 2023 after signing a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the Bears. Ngakoue’s season ended prematurely for a second consecutive season when he fractured an ankle in Week 14.
“Honestly, I haven’t really been thinking about an offer or details in specific at all,” Ngakoue told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Wednesday. “The only thing I’ve been thinking about is taking that grass again and re-establishing myself on the field as one of the fiercest competitors in the game today. That’s the only thing on my mind. Everything else will come after that. I have to re-establish myself and remind people of why I’m one of the best [pass] rushers. That’s the only thing on my mind.”
Ngakoue, 29, made 37.5 sacks in his four seasons with the Jaguars. His last double-digit sack season — the second of his career — came in 2021 when he totaled 10 with the Raiders.
He made 9.5 sacks in 2022 with the Colts.
Ngakoue waited until halfway through training camp last year to sign with the Bears, which might have contributed to his lack of production.
Ngakoue said he has received interest this offseason, but he isn’t likely to receive an offer as good as the one the Bears gave him a year ago.
“I feel like everything’s going to work out just perfectly,” Ngakoue said. “Like I said, everything happens for a reason. God is a perfect planner, and the end of the day, I’m just focused on myself, just focused on how can I get better, focusing on things that I could have done better last year. At the end of the day, I make no excuses.
“I just hope that I’m somewhere before training camp starts because everyone needs to go through a training camp in order to have the kind of season they want to have. It’s just like a boxer at the end of the day. If you don’t have a proper training camp, you can go into the ring and get knocked out. So it’s all about preparation. The only thing that I’m worried about is being able to help an organization, help out the young guys and guys that are veterans as well to be able to get a Super Bowl ring and just bring great energy to that building wherever I’m at.”
One of the issues raised during Tuesday’s video addressing the details of the lawsuit against former Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus was whether and to what extent the flight attendants who have sued McManus and the Jaguars previously complained to their employer, Atlas Air, about the situation.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, they did.
There will be a question, however, as to whether their report to Atlas Air meshes with the contents of the civil complaint filed last Friday in Florida.
If they hadn’t complained to Atlas Air, the defendants would have seized on that omission — especially if Atlas Air has policies encouraging prompt reporting of such incidents. However, if the information provided to Atlas Air conflicts with the information in the complaint, that will become fodder for aggressive efforts by the defendants to show that the version in the complaint is not credible.
The issue will initially come to a head during the deposition testimony of the plaintiffs. At that time, they’ll undoubtedly be grilled about any and all inconsistencies, setting the stage for an aggressive cross-examination at trial — or a settlement on terms favorable to the defense.
Meanwhile, an unnamed member of the Jaguars roster reportedly told The U.S. Sun that he “saw the incident and claimed the kicker was out of order and crossed the line.”
“Some people think that their definition of ‘fun’ is one way, but others think it’s not ‘fun’ to do certain things, and to behave in a bad way or cross the line of respect towards women,” the unnamed player told The U.S. Sun. “You can’t behave like it happened, we have to set a good example for people and for everyone around, fans, workers, and everybody else. . . . You could tell that the vibe and the whole situation was making things tense and very weird.”
If the unnamed player cares to elaborate, we’re easy to find. As are plenty of other reporters.
At some point, the unnamed player won’t be able to reside in anonymity. To prepare the case properly, everyone on that plane will need to be questioned under oath to see what was or wasn’t seen and/or heard, including all players.
That’s the biggest difference between this case and the Deshaun Watson litigation. In the Watson cases, there were two people in the room. In this case, there were many witnesses in position to observe.
On Friday, two flight attendants employed by Atlas Air filed a lawsuit against the Jaguars and former Jaguars (now Commanders) kicker Brandon McManus. PFT has obtained and reviewed a copy of the complaint.
You can review it, too, if you like. Here’s the link.
The plaintiffs have opted to proceed under the Jane Doe pseudonym. That was a point of contention in the lawsuits filed three years ago against Deshaun Watson, because Watson argued he didn’t know who was accusing him of wrongdoing. In this case, that shouldn’t be an issue; the Jaguars and McManus should be able to discern without much effort or guesswork the names of the individuals who are suing.
The plaintiffs are both residents of Harris County, Texas. That would help explain the decision to hire Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee.
At paragraph 9, the complaint makes this broad allegation: “The NFL is no stranger to scandal, especially when it comes to offenses against women. Despite a pervasive advertising campaign to the contrary, many of its players have been accused of committing heinous sexual crimes and transgressions. The NFL’s failure to properly address this undeniable culture of sexual harassment and violence against women led to the preventable and disgraceful sexual misconduct towards Plaintiffs at the hands of Defendant Brandon McManus.”
“The flight quickly turned into a party as Defendant McManus and a number of his teammates disregarded the flight attendants’ personal space, air travel safety, and federal law,” the complaint alleges at paragraph 12.
“Defendant McManus himself spent the 8-hour flight roaming the plane, and even entered the crewmember-only galley multiple times,” the complaint alleges at paragraph 12. “Defendant McManus recruited three flight attendants (not the Plaintiffs) to the party, passing out $100 bills to encourage them to drink and dance inappropriately for him. Based on information and belief, the three flight attendants drinking and dancing with Defendant McManus no longer work for Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings.”
Paragraphs 16 through 23 focus on allegations made by Jane Doe I. At paragraph 17, the complaint alleges as follows: “Defendant McManus first cornered Jane Doe I when the pilot indicated that turbulence required seatbelts for all individuals on the plane. When Jane Doe I belted herself into her designated jump-seat, Defendant McManus got up, sat next to her and began talking to her.”
Paragraph 18: “At this time, Jane Doe I had already observed Defendant McManus drinking with and sexualizing the other flight crew, and was very uncomfortable with McManus’s presence near her. Despite her obvious discomfort, Defendant McManus leaned in to kiss Jane Doe I. She quickly put her hand up to block herself from Defendant McManus’s attempted unwanted advances. She firmly told Defendant McManus to go away, and he did in fact leave her alone for a short period of time.”
Paragraph 20: “On two separate occasions, Defendant McManus grabbed Jane Doe I and ‘grinded’ on her. Each time, she could feel his erect penis through his clothes as he rubbed himself on her. Both incidents were unprovoked, unwanted, and reprehensible.”
Paragraph 22: “As McManus was grinding against her, Jane Doe I froze and made eye contact with another Jaguars player, who looked ashamed of his teammate’s behavior. McManus eventually stopped and walked away.”
Paragraph 23: “Defendant McManus’s second assault on Jane Doe I occurred during the flight’s second meal service. Defendant McManus came up behind her, grabbed her tightly by the waist, and rubbed his clothed but erect penis on her multiple times. Yet again, Jane Doe I could not move away because she was standing in a small aisle and was carrying a large tray.”
Paragraphs 24 through 30 focus on the allegations made by Jane Doe II. From paragraph 24: “Defendant McManus also targeted Jane Doe II when she was occupied with job duties and unable to move away from his violative conduct. When Jane Doe II was serving the flight’s second meal service, Defendant McManus approached her from behind, grabbed her waist, and ‘grinded’ on her.”
Paragraph 26: “Like Jane Doe II, she could feel Defendant McManus’s erect penis through his clothes as he rubbed himself on her. When Jane Doe II turned around and confronted Defendant McManus, he simply smirked and walked away. She was humiliated and embarrassed.”
The complaint includes three causes of action: (1) assault and sexual assault by McManus; (2) intentional infliction of emotional distress by McManus; (3) negligence and gross negligence by the Jaguars.
The Jaguars have been sued under the theory that the team had a duty of “ordinary care” to protect the plaintiffs against player misconduct. The team is accused of negligent hiring, training, and supervision of McManus, along with the broader claim that the team failed to create and maintain proper policies and procedures for hiring, training, and supervising employees — and for failing to adopt policies and procedures to protect flight staff from sexual harassment.
The case seeks compensatory and punitive damages. The reference at the outset of the complaint to a request for damages in excess of $1 million dollars is ultimately meaningless, other than to satisfy the court’s jurisdictional minimum. The jury will give the plaintiffs whatever the jury decides to give the plaintiffs, if anything.
McManus’s lawyer, Brett Gallaway, previously issued a denial of the allegations: “To be clear, these are absolutely fictitious and demonstrably false allegations made as part of a campaign to defame and disparage a talented and well-respected NFL player. We intend to aggressively defend Brandon’s rights and integrity and clear his name by showing what these claims truly are — an extortion attempt.”
McManus will eventually respond to the complaint, with a formal answer or a motion to dismiss. Eventually, a schedule will be put in place for the discovery process (i.e., depositions, requests for documents, requests for written responses, and similar devices) and eventual trial. Like any case, it could settle at any time.
