The Green Bay Packers have struggled with kicking since the departure of their all-time leading scorer, Mason Crosby. Following their victory over the Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay fired Braden Narveson and signed veteran and Super Bowl champion kicker Brandon McManus.
The move makes sense for the Green Bay Packers from a talent standpoint. However, McManus’ off-the-field claims have sparked numerous doubts.
Green Bay Packers Sign Brandon McManus, Previously Released Due To Assault Lawsuit.
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Brandon McManus has had a tremendous NFL career, culminating in a 2016 Super Bowl victory with the Denver Broncos. During his nine-year time with the Broncos, he was second on the franchise points chart. His tenth season was a one-year rental with the Jacksonville Jaguars before joining the Washington Commanders.
Washington fired McManus before he could play a single snap after filing an initial sexual harassment case. The claimed event occurred during his time with the Jaguars, on a flight back to America from London.
According to the lawsuit, what was supposed to be a normal trip “quickly turned into a party,” with McManus and other teammates allegedly violating the flight attendants’ personal boundaries, safety standards, and federal restrictions. The plaintiffs allege that McManus distributed $100 bills to encourage the attendants and others onboard to participate in inappropriate drinking and dancing. Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson indicated in the spring that he was ignorant of the claims until the lawsuit was made public.
“As a result of the Jaguars’ non-enforcement of policy, defendant Brandon McManus drank alcohol to the point that he got drunk, along with others, and ultimately sexually assaulted both plaintiffs,” according to the lawsuit. “Due to the Jaguars’ in-flight policy and procedure — or lack thereof — and implicit instructions to the flight crew to not intervene in said conduct, the Jaguars as well as McManus are directly responsible for this occurrence.”
The NFL found insufficient evidence to suspend him from football, and the situation has been “resolved” according to McManus and his lawyers.
Brian Gutekunst, the general manager of the Green Bay Packers, assured that a proper investigation will be conducted.
Following McManus’ signing, Green Bay Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst addressed the elephant in the room: the team’s newest addition.
McManus has been practically flawless from inside 50 yards, converting an amazing 90.8% of his efforts. However, his long-range field goal accuracy suffers dramatically, with a 54.9% success rate from 50 yards or more. Overall, he’s made 81.4% of his field goal attempts from all distances.x
Final Thoughts
Finally, the NFL found no reason to ban McManus, the Green Bay Packers found no reason not to sign the kicker, and the lawsuit was “resolved” with seemingly no public outrage from the prospective victims. Despite these facts, Green Bay Packers supporters do not want to see these types of deals become the norm in Wisconsin.
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