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5 months ago
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Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has broken his silence on the sexual assault allegations against former kicker Brandon McManus.
Washington released McManus on Sunday, seven days after news broke that two women, who work as flight attendants, are suing the kicker after alleging that he sexually assaulted them on a team flight to London last year, while he played for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Commanders signed McManus to a one-year, $3.6 million deal on March 14, and Quinn said on Wednesday that the team only learned of the lawsuit against him on May 27 - three days after the lawsuit was filed in Duval County Circuit Civil Court in Florida - according to ESPN.
The two unidentified women are seeking $1million from McManus, 32.
When word of the lawsuit emerged last week, Quinn said he declined to comment further on McManus due to the situation remaining 'under investigation.'
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn speaks with the media prior to an OTA workout on Wed.
A lawsuit filed by two women in Florida in May claims that kicker Brandon McManus sexually assaulted them last year on a flight to NFL while he was playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars
Quinn added that he discussed situations that the team needs to be aware of with his players, pointing out 'that kind of communication allows you to come up with solutions.'
Brett R. Gallaway, the attorney representing McManus, reiterated in a statement Sunday that he believes the allegations 'remain absolutely false and importantly, are contradicted by indisputable evidence and the accusers' own prior inconsistent statements and omissions.'
'While we are disappointed with the team's decision to release Brandon before he had the opportunity to defend against these fabricated claims, we will aggressively defend and clear Brandon's name and reputation through the legal process,' Gallaway said.
On Tuesday, the Commanders began the process of replacing McManus by signing Ramiz Ahmed, formerly of the UFL. The team was in the market for a new kicker after Joey Slye held the job each of the past two seasons.
Slye won the role during the 2021 season when Washington's old regime headed by coach Ron Rivera released Dustin Hopkins and first went through two other kickers, Chris Blewitt and Brian Johnson.
Coincidentally, Blewitt replaced Ahmed with Birmingham late last month.
The Commanders began the process of replacing McManus by signing Ramiz Ahmed on Tues.
When asked if the Commanders' history was a factor in releasing McManus, Quinn said, 'There's nothing we can comment on. There's an investigation that's ongoing.'
In 2021, the Commanders were fined $10M in after an NFL investigation found evidence of a toxic workplace culture under former owner Dan Snyder. Allegations of sexual harassment were brought forward, at the time, as well.
Snyder, who was accused of sexual misconduct by a former team employee, was fined $60M after a 17-month-long prove led by attorney Mary Jo White.
Her findings reported that the Commanders hid revenue that was supposed to be disclosed with other NFKL teams. White also demonstrated that claims on Snyder sexually harassing former employee Tiffani Johnston were true.
A consortium led by Josh Harris purchased the Commanders from Snyder in 2023.
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