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Report: Peyton Manning attempted to discredit sex assault accuser

A new report details accusations that Peyton Manning sexually assaulted a trainer while at Tennessee and then smeared her name in a book published several years later.
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A new report from the New York Daily Newsdetails the sexual assault allegations made against Peyton Manning by an athletic trainer on the football staff during his time at Tennessee. The report cites court documents, which it also uses to support its claim that Manning’s family engaged in a smear campaign against the alleged victim, Dr. Jamie Naughright, breaking a confidentially agreement the parties had signed.

The legal filings detail a purported incident from 1996 in which the quarterback exposed himself to Naughright during an examination and proceeded to sexually assault the trainer. Naughright reported the event at the Knoxville Sexual Assault Crisis center that day, according to the Daily News’ Shaun King.

“At 6 feet, 5 inches, his feet dangled off the edge of the table. Manning allegedly then proceeded to scoot down the training table while Naughright examined his foot. At that point, she said, he forcefully maneuvered his naked testicles and rectum directly on her face with his penis on top of her head. Shocked, disgusted, and offended, Naughright pushed Manning away, removing her head out from under him.”

Manning and Naughright eventually agreed to sign a confidentially agreement regarding the incident, and she left the university shortly afterwards. Naughright claims Peyton and Archie Manning violated the terms of the agreement with the publication of the book Manning, which they co-wrote with John Underwood.

Six women file federal sex assault lawsuit against Tennessee

After the book, which claims Naughright frequently used foul language and was involved in sexual relationships with multiple athletes, was released, the trainer was let go from her job at Florida Southern College. She later sued the Mannings, Underwood, and publisher HarperCollins. Peyton and Archie Manning later affirmed the claims made in the book under oath, while multiple witnesses for the plaintiff, including a Tennessee teammate of Manning, testified that the claims had no basis in fact.