Sexual assault charge against former Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus dismissed, expected to be refiled

The sexual assault lawsuit against former Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus and the organization was dismissed Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Michael DiRocco. However, the lawsuit is expected to be refiled in the coming days.

Florida District Judge Michael S. Sharrit on Tuesday granted a motion to dismiss the case, which said the two women in the lawsuit used the pseudonyms “Jane Doe I” and “Jane Doe II” to remain anonymous. The judge ruled that the lawsuit did not meet the “exceptional circumstances” criteria required to remain anonymous and that “fairness requires that plaintiffs be willing to publicly support their allegations, just as defendant McManus must publicly refute them.”

The women now have 10 days to amend the charges by using their names, and attorney Tony Buzbee has said they will do so.

The Jaguars declined to comment. McManus has long denied the allegations against him.

The Brandon McManus Sexual Abuse Trial

McManus was accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed in May, following an alleged incident on the Jaguars’ flight to London for a game last year.

The women were working as flight attendants on the charter flight to London ahead of the team’s game against the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley Stadium in September 2023. Soon, the women said, the flight “turned into a party.”

The women alleged, among other things, that McManus and others disregarded their personal space, flight safety and federal laws. McManus allegedly recruited flight attendants for the party and handed out $100 bills to try to get them to drink and dance for him. One woman said McManus tried to kiss her while she was sitting during turbulence, and both women said he rubbed against them multiple times during the flight’s meal service.

When one woman confronted McManus, she said he “grinned and walked away.” The other woman said she stayed on the second floor of the plane to avoid him on the return flight.

The women also named the Jaguars in the lawsuit for allegedly failing to provide guidance to McManus and for failing to create a safe environment on the plane.

McManus went 30-of-37 on the field and made all of his extra points with the Jaguars last season, his first with the team after spending the first nine years of his career with the Denver Broncos. He signed a one-year deal with the Washington Commanders earlier this offseason, but the team released him after the lawsuit was filed.