After the Green Bay Packers signed kicker Brandon McManus this week, general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters that the team was “very, very comfortable” with adding him in light of sexual assault allegations against him.
The NFL investigated the matter, reportedly interviewing more than 30 people, and found “insufficient evidence” that McManus had violated the league’s personal conduct policy and declared on September 30 that the case was closed regarding possible disciplinary action for McManus.
“When these things were cleared up within the league last week and he got past some other things, those conversations started happening again,” Gutekunst said Wednesday, via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. “We wanted to make sure we did our due diligence. Again, we feel really good about where we are and we’re excited to get him there.”
Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said that in addition to relying on the NFL’s investigation and their own investigation into the allegations against Brandon McManus, he had to hear it from the kicker himself before signing him last night. pic.twitter.com/5MoNglxdFy
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) October 16, 2024
McManus was accused by two flight attendants of getting drunk, trying to kiss one of them and squeezing the two while he was with the Jacksonville Jaguars on a flight from London in September 2023.
The plaintiffs sought $1 million in damages and a jury trial. McManus was fired by the Washington Commanders, with whom he signed as a free agent, after the allegations became public.
When he signed with the Packers, McManus told reporters that the lawsuit had been “resolved,” which his attorney confirmed to ESPN. Neither McManus nor his attorney explained whether the case had been settled or dismissed. Court records in Florida show depositions with the two plaintiffs remain on the docket, according to ESPN.com.
Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia was likely looking at McManus’ signing purely from a football standpoint when he responded, “What’s not to like about it?”
“He’s been in a lot of pressure situations, he’s had kicks in the Super Bowl,” Bisaccia added. “He’s played in cold weather, he’s played in warm weather. So he’s had a lot of experiences in a lot of different climates, in a lot of different places. He’s been successful for a long time, so we’re happy to have him now.”
Bisaccia’s comments could have seemed insensitive, even though he was speaking purely as a coach. As Gutekunst said in his remarks, McManus would not have been available without the allegations against him.
It’s certainly possible Bisaccia sees a kicker who has made 81% of his attempts during a 10-year NFL career as an upgrade over rookie Brayden Narveson, who made 12 of his 17 kicks this season. Narveson was released when McManus was signed.
Yet such comments could be criticized as tone-deaf if coaches and executives are seen as valuing football talent over personal behavior, especially when it comes to violence against women.
