“We did release Brandon,” Quinn said at a news conference before the Commanders’ offseason workout Wednesday in Ashburn. “I found out some of the information on May 27th. And then we released him on June the 3rd.”
The Commanders signed McManus to a one-year, $3.6 million contract in March. The deal included a $1.5 million signing bonus.
Quinn was the first Commanders official to respond to questions from media members about the team’s decision to release McManus. The Commanders issued a statement through a spokesman May 27, saying they were made aware earlier that day of the lawsuit and adding that they “take allegations of this nature very seriously.”
Quinn reiterated Wednesday that the Commanders knew nothing of the allegations before last week.
“First was May 27,” he said.
He provided no details about the team’s conversations with McManus or his representatives.
“This is under investigation,” Quinn said. “So I can’t comment a lot. But what I can say is a little bit about what I told the team. And I think like most things, not necessarily related to this but as a lesson, let’s make sure you always let somebody know and tell. There’s usually a whole bunch of people that want to be part of the solution. And so when you have that, whether that’s for this team or any team or a parent, that kind of communication allows you to come up with some solutions.”
Quinn did not directly answer a question about whether the franchise’s history of facing sexual harassment allegations under previous owner Daniel Snyder played a role in the deliberations about releasing McManus.
“That’s nothing that we can comment on,” Quinn said. “There’s an investigation that’s ongoing. So what we always want to do, in all the spaces [and] in all the players, let’s have open communication. And that’s what we’re trying to dig into and find. And like I said earlier, a lot of people want to be a part of the solution. Our team has an army of support, like most teams do. And so that communication, that’s a critical piece of it.”
The NFL said when team owners ratified Snyder’s $6.05 billion sale of the Commanders last year to a group led by Josh Harris that Snyder would pay the league $60 million as part of the closing of the sale after a league investigation, conducted by attorney Mary Jo White, concluded that he sexually harassed a former team employee and that the team withheld revenue it should have shared with other NFL franchises.
McManus’s accusers were identified as Jane Doe I and Jane Doe II in a lawsuit filed last month in Duval County (Fla.) Circuit Civil Court. The women allege McManus rubbed against them during the Jaguars’ charter flight Sept. 28 to London for games against the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills. The women worked as flight attendants for Atlas Air, according to the lawsuit.
McManus’s attorney, Brett R. Gallaway, said in a statement Sunday that “the allegations against Brandon are and remain absolutely false and, importantly, are contradicted by indisputable evidence and the accusers’ own prior inconsistent statements and omissions.”
Ramiz Ahmed, the kicker signed Tuesday by the Commanders, participated in Wednesday’s workout. Ahmed was released last week by the United Football League’s Birmingham Stallions. Quinn said General Manager Adam Peters will continue to search for kickers and the Commanders will have a competition for the job.
“We’re going to compete at every spot,” Quinn said. “It’s one of the cool parts about Adam and his staff: We’re going to dig forever. And not just at kicker — at every spot. And so that’s what our whole program is based on, the competition. … But it’s also moments like this that guys get their opportunity. And when they do, a lot of times people have been waiting for that shot, that moment. And we’ll take it from there.”
