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Buffalo Bills first-round pick Maxwell Hairston is dealing with a sexual assault lawsuit while in his first training camp, and his new NFL organization has his back as he goes through it.
Hairston was named in a civil lawsuit that claims he sexually assaulted a woman while at the University of Kentucky in 2021.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane addressed the allegation on Wednesday, when he called the situation “frustrating,” but not in the way one might think.
“Frustrating because, in the legal world, you can’t sit there and say things back and forth. You’ve got to let it go,” Beane told reporters, via The New York Post. “This happened to this young man over four years ago. He gave up his phone to prove … he took a polygraph test. This kid didn’t run from anything, he answered all of that.
“We have to remember in society that people can make accusations and do things. I have no idea what the agenda is there. I can tell you, every stone we turned over, every door we looked behind, this is a very good young man. A young man you would let in your house, watch your kids, hang out with whoever.”
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Beane continued to emphasize the type of person he and the Bills believe Hairston is.
“He is genuinely a good person. … I think we need to remember in the world, I’m not going to get into it, but we see these accusations, sometimes these guys can be victims, too,” Beane explained. “They make a lot of money. Rarely do people defend them. That’s hard for me in this seat sometimes. Because I’ve seen it. We’ve had it here with a player here a few years ago that’s no longer here that’s wrongly accused.”
Rebecca Hendryx is the woman who was identified as Hairston’s accuser in the lawsuit, which was filed in Kentucky earlier this month, per ESPN.
Hendryx claims that Hairston “forcefully removed” her clothes and sexually assaulted her despite allegedly telling him she did not want to participate in sexual activity.
Hairston said on Wednesday that he went through a “thorough” investigation after police found out about the allegations while he was at the university. He was 17 at the time of the allegations.
“The University of Kentucky did a thorough investigation,” Hairston, who is not facing criminal charges, said, via the New York Post. “I was exonerated from that, as well. And I volunteered to do multiple polygraphs because I was determined to get my truth out there, because I had nothing to hide. I was an open book.
“I have two sisters that I love dearly, and I respect all females, and I was just determined to get my truth out there. Like I said, I was an open book, and I was exonerated from both of those and just got to stay strong. But I’m confident that my truth will be out there.”
Buffalo was in need of secondary help this offseason, and they used the 30th overall pick on Hairston, who went viral during the NFL Draft after cameras caught him excited for all the players who were selected before him in Green Bay.
Hairston is expected to be a starter alongside Christian Benford, though Dane Jackson and Tre’Davious White, who reunited with the Bills for a second stint with the team, will be battling for the job as well.
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