PITTSFORD, N.Y. (WIVB) — Rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston proclaimed his innocence at the start of Buffalo Bills training camp after being named in a civil lawsuit this month alleging he sexually assaulted a woman while he was a student at University of Kentucky in 2021.
“It’s been something I’ve been dealing with since I was 17. It’s been four years now,” Hairston told reporters after signing autographs following the Bills’ first practice of the summer at St. John Fisher University.
“I went through this whole process with the police,” he said. “They went through a thorough investigation, and I was exonerated from that. The University of Kentucky did a thorough investigation. I was exonerated from that as well. I volunteered to do multiple polygraphs because I was determined to get my truth out there, because I have nothing to hide. I was an open book. I have two sisters that I love dearly, and I respect all females.”
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Kentucky on July 1 alleges that Hairston had non-consensual sexual contact with a woman in her on-campus dorm room in March 2021.
The Bills investigated the matter prior to selecting the speedy cornerback with the 27th pick in the first-round of NFL draft, and the team has “been by my side from the start,” Hairston said.
“The people that know the truth know,” he said. “And those are the people that I’m sticking by, and they are sticking by me.”
“They did their own thorough investigation,” Hairston added. “They found everything they needed to find. I was open and willing, nothing to hide. Because I was being truthful from the start. That’s why I’m here now. Because the Bills know the truth, and they know the real.”
Bills general manager Brandon Beane reiterated his defense of Hairston and the team’s background investigation process going into the draft when speaking at training camp Wednesday.
“It is frustrating because in the legal world you can’t sit there and say things back and forth. You got to let it go,” Beane said. “But this happened to this young man over four years ago. He gave up his phone to prove some of … he took a polygraph test. This kid didn’t run from anything. He answered every single thing.
“We have to remember in society that people can make accusations and do things,” the GM continued. “And I have no idea what the agenda is there. But I can tell you every stone we turned over, every door we looked behind, this is a very good young man. A young man you would let in your house, you would let watch your kids, hang out with whoever. Like he is genuinely a good person. He’s got sisters, he’s got a mother, he’s got a great family, raised the right way.”
Beane cautioned against judging NFL players based upon accusations in lawsuits and media reports, referencing the Bills experience with punter Matt Araiza during the 2023 preseason.
“I would feel terrible if someone said that about one of my sons,” Beane said. “And I think we need to remember in the world — and I’m not going to get into it, but we see these accusations, — sometimes these guys can be victims too. They make a lot of money and I just want to make sure, nobody, rarely do people defend them. And that’s hard for me in this seat sometimes because I’ve seen it. We’ve had it here with a player here a few years ago that’s no longer here that was wrongly accused.”
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Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB squad in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, and Niagara Gazette. Read more of his work here.