Buffalo Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston is facing a lawsuit from a woman who alleges he sexually assaulted her in 2021 while he was an early enrollee at the University of Kentucky. The 21-year-old was selected 30th overall in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft in April.
The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, also accuses Hairston of intentional infliction of emotional distress. The woman, who is not identified, is seeking a jury trial and compensatory damages. According to the filing reviewed by USA Today, she claims that on 24 March 2021, Hairston arrived unannounced at her dorm room, said he wanted to "hang out", and followed her into her bedroom after she declined, then sexually assaulted her after she rejected his advances.
One of the woman's attorneys, Peter Flowers, said in a statement: "Our client showed remarkable strength in coming forward, and we are proud to stand with her in pursuit of accountability and justice. No one – regardless of their status or athletic success – is above the law."
The Bills were aware of the allegations before the draft, with the woman having filed a report with the university. General manager Brandon Beane said the team conducted extensive research, noting that the school fully investigated the matter and that Hairston volunteered to take a polygraph. "You can't just take someone's account and think that's the truth," 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."
