Former Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus is now former Commanders kicker, too.
The Commanders announced on Sunday night that McManus has been released.
The move comes six days after news emerged of a lawsuit filed against him and the team by two flight attendants on the Jaguars’ flight to London in 2023. The plaintiffs claim McManus sexually assaulted them. McManus has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
It’s unclear whether and to what extent the Commanders conducted an investigation, or whether they simply decided that the distraction outweighs the expected contributions.
Here’s an interesting twist. Atlas Air Worldwide, the company that flew the Jaguars to London, is owned by Apollo Global Management. Apollo was co-founded by Commanders majority owner Josh Harris.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Harris continues to own Apollo stock, although he’s no longer on the board of directors and otherwise has no role in the management of the company. That said, he’s in position to potentially find out enough through Atlas as to whether it made sense to cut ties with McManus, based on any information the plaintiffs provided to their employer about McManus’s alleged behavior.
However they got there, the Commanders got there quickly. McManus is out.