Last month, former Buccaneers receiver Deven Thompkins was publicly accused of domestic violence. He has denied it. Now, he has sued over it.
PFT has obtained the lawsuit filed on Friday by Thompkins against his estranged wife, Maria Castilhos. In the 14-page civil complaint, Thompkins alleges defamation and tortious interference with his NFL contract.
The lawsuit includes allegations that paint the picture of a very rocky relationship, to say the least. At paragraph 6, for example, Thompkins alleges that, on October 31, 2022, Castilhos “donned a ski mask and attacked Plaintiff’s then-current girlfriend at a party by punching her in the nose and ripping the hair extensions from her head.”
At paragraph 13, Thompkins details an alleged scheme to blackmail him. “Specifically,” the document explains, “Defendant threatened that, unless Plaintiff complied with her extortive demands, Defendant would release photographs of apparent injuries to her face and arms, along with videos of Plaintiff verbally arguing with Defendant, and would falsely report to the public that the injuries were a result of domestic violence perpetrated by Plaintiff.”
Then, during an effort at reconciliation, she allegedly said she would permanently delete photos that she had claimed showed domestic abuse. “I’m done blackmailing you,” she allegedly texted to Thompkins, as detailed in paragraph 18. “You have my word.”
In paragraphs 22 to 24, Thompkins alleges that, after he signed a one-year, $985,000 deal with the Buccaneers in February 2024, she “renewed her extortive threats that she would falsely accuse Plaintiff of domestic violence unless he agreed to pay her more alimony.” (Emphasis in the original document.)
In May 2024, she allegedly posted videos on TikTok accusing Thompkins of domestic abuse. He denies causing any of the injuries shown in the video. He also accuses her of altering the photos to fabricate injuries.
The Buccaneers released Thompkins roughly a week after the first TikTok video was posted.
The lawsuit seeks a minimum payment of the $985,000 he lost after being released by the Buccaneers, plus other specific forms of compensation.
The reality is that the defendant likely won’t have that kind of money, even if Thompkins wins. As a result, the case seems to be an effort by Thompkins to clear his name, by proving in court that (as he alleges) she lied about him.
For those who are wrongfully accused, it’s really the only way to put the toothpaste back in the tube — even if there likely will always be some toothpaste that never gets cleaned up.
Undrafted in 2022, Thompkins spent two years with the Buccaneers. In 22 regular-season games, he has 22 catches for 115 yards and one touchdown. He also has 10 rushing attempts for 82 yards.