Buffalo Bills rookie cornerback and first-round draft pick Maxwell Hairston was named as a defendant in a recently filed civil lawsuit that alleges Hairston sexually assaulted a woman when he attended the University of Kentucky.
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky on July 1, the lawsuit, which was obtained by USA TODAY Sports, alleges Hairston engaged in non-consensual sexual contact with a woman in her on-campus dorm in 2021.
The woman, who reported the incident to law enforcement and eventually transferred out of the university, is also suing for intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Here’s what we know so far.
What does the lawsuit against Maxwell Hairston allege?
According to the lawsuit, on the night of March 24, 2021, Hairston came to the woman’s dorm room uninvited.
“Plaintiff inquired about the purpose of Defendant’s visit, to which Defendant responded that he wanted to hang out with Plaintiff. Plaintiff declined and further expressed that she was tired and going to bed before turning around and walking away from the door,” according to the lawsuit.
She first met Hairston earlier in 2021 outside their shared on-campus residence hall at the University of Kentucky, the lawsuit says, where later that day, Hairston “made (her) feel uncomfortable when he attempted to isolate her in his bedroom.”
The lawsuit states that Hairston followed the woman into her bedroom and ignored her repeated refusals to engage in sexual contact. Hairston then forcibly removed the woman’s pajama shorts and sexually assaulted her, the suit states. The woman is seeking a jury trial and compensatory damages on all counts.
“Our client showed remarkable strength in coming forward, and we are proud to stand with her in pursuit of accountability and justice,” said Peter Flowers, one of the women’s attorneys. “No one – regardless of their status or athletic success – is above the law.”
Buffalo Bills have been asked about Maxwell Hairston’s past before
Hairston was selected with the 30th overall pick by the Bills in April’s draft. When asked about Hairston, Bills general manager Brandon Beane said that the draft pick was properly vetted.
“We did a lot of research. I think all teams were aware of the Title IX thing. That was fully investigated by the school. He even volunteered to do a polygraph and had notes. It was one of those where there was zero information saying that this actually happened, to what the accusation was. You can’t take someone’s account and think that’s the truth. But yes, we fully investigated that,” Beane said. “Every person you talk to at Kentucky, teammates, staff there, plus what we’ve done, I would say this is a heck of a young man, every person you ask. That’s unfortunate when things like that are attached to someone’s name; in this case, it doesn’t seem to be anything there.”
The Bills have not immediately responded to the Democrat and Chronicle’s request for comment.
Maxwell Hairston was expected to compete for starting job as rookie
The expectation was for Hairston to compete for a starting job as a rookie for the Bills as the signings of old friends Tre’Davious White and Dane Jackson were for depth and to be mentors for a player like Hairston because they both know Sean McDermott’s system so well.
Hairston’s speed is undeniable — he showed up at the combine and ran the fastest 40 time (4.28 seconds) and his 39.5-inch vertical leap was second-best among cornerbacks and tied for 12th among all players — and he is a true boundary corner which is what the Bills have to have, and he made plays on the ball in college.
“A guy like Max, you don’t know that he’s going to fall that far,” Beane said after drafting Hairston, who apparently felt he would go a little earlier than he did. “We had him in for a 30 visit, we’ve been around him a few times, great young man. If you guys were watching the TV, you could see his infectious personality and smile. He’s a good kid. He’ll add, obviously, speed to our DB room and we think he’ll pair well with what we already have.”
Emily Barnes reports on consumer-related issues for the USA TODAY Network’s New York Connect Team, focusing on scam and recall-related topics. Follow her on X and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@gannett.com.
Democrat and Chronicle reporter Sal Maiorana contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills first-round pick Maxwell Hairston faces lawsuit alleging sexual assault
Reporting by Emily Barnes and Scooby Axson, New York Connect Team / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
