A former athletic trainer who accused NFL legend Peyton Manning of sexually assaulting her during his college days is speaking out 20 years later in her first TV interview.
Dr Jamie Naughright, who worked at the University of Tennessee back when Manning was the star quarterback, has spoken to Inside Edition about the 1996 incident in which she claims he rubbed his naked testicles on her face.
Manning has previously admitted to ‘mooning’ his teammate while Naughright was treating him but has always denied the trainer’s sex assault allegations in the various lawsuits she had brought against him.
His lawyer denied the accusations again on Monday.
Dr Jamie Naughright has spoken about the 1996 incident in which she claims Peyton Manning rubbed his testicles on her face while she was treating him
Of the retired quarterback’s denial, Naughright said: ‘That’s a lie.’
‘I felt something on my face and Peyton had pulled his shorts down and sat his anus and his testicles on my face,’ Naughright told the program.
‘So I pushed him up and out. He turned around, pulled his shorts back up.
‘I was repulsed. I was scared. I was intimidated. It was definitely a predator – intimidating, anger, violent eyes that he had.’
Her interview comes as a wave of sexual harassment allegations surface in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal.
Naughright worked at the University of Tennessee as an athletic trainer back when Manning was the star quarterback in 1996
Naughright described the alleged incident during an interview with Inside Edition on Monday. She said she felt something on her face and claimed it was Manning’s testicles
Naughright reportedly received a $300,000 settlement in 1997 from the University of Tennessee related to the incident.
She resigned the following year but filed a lawsuit against Manning in 2002 claiming he defamed her in a book.
While Manning’s sealed affidavit from that lawsuit has previously been released, Inside Edition has now obtained his video deposition.
‘I briefly pulled down my pants to so-called ‘moon’ him. One second, one and a half seconds,’ he said in the deposition. ‘Pulled my pants back up and continued with Jamie examining my foot.
Manning has admitted to ‘mooning’ his teammate while Naughright was treating him but has always denied the sex assault allegations. He is pictured above in July 2017
Manning’s attorney said on Monday that Naughright’s story has changed since she first accused the footballer of sexual harassment.
‘Peyton Manning has been absolutely clear: Jamie Naughright’s accusations are false. When her claims were first investigated 21 years ago, she told a very different story,’ the statement read.
‘Her current account was invented several years later in connection with her first of several groundless litigations against Peyton.
‘Most recently, she left Peyton’s mother a vulgar and extremely disturbing voicemail. Ms Naughright should stop this abusive behavior.’