Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane addressed the sexual assault allegations against Hairston in April.
Buffalo Bills Maxwell Hairston was previously accused of sexual assault while a member of the University of Kentucky’s football program. On July 1st, attorneys for the accuser filed a civil lawsuit against Hairston in Eastern Kentucky.
Content warning: This article contains details of an alleged sexual assault that may be disturbing to readers.
Details of the Maxwell Hairston sexual assault allegations
The attorneys outlined details of their case in a press release, with specifics previously undisclosed publicly. All of the allegations listed are uncorroborated, and no criminal charges have been filed.
According to the attorneys, in early 2021, the accused and the accuser met on the campus of the University of Kentucky, with Hairston inviting the accuser back to his dorm room. While in his dorm room, she became uncomfortable and left.
He later messaged her on Snapchat asking to meet up again, but they did not see each other again until the March night of the alleged assault when he showed up uninvited to her dorm room.
Despite being told she was tired and uninterested in spending time together; he entered her room without permission. Once inside, he followed her into her bedroom and ignored her repeated refusals to engage in sexual contact. Hairston then forcibly removed [the accuser]’s clothing and sexually assaulted her.
The incident was reported to authorities within hours.
The accuser eventually left the University of Kentucky.
These details aren’t in the press release, but in March 2021, Hairston would have been 17 and still in high school. He graduated later in 2021 according to WXYZ in Detroit after committing to Kentucky in August of 2020. In the alleged timeline of events, he would have been on campus for spring football, which typically goes from March to mid-April.
How have the Bills responded to Maxwell Hairston sexual assault allegations?
The Bills have told local news outlets they won’t comment on the recent lawsuit.
Hairston and the Bills did not mention the allegations on the night he was drafted in April. It wasn’t a major storyline during the pre-draft process nor was it on Bills fans’ radar after the pick. It had been so long since the alleged incident without further updates, the allegations weren’t included in any of his scouting reports leading up to the draft.
On Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft, a day after picking Hairston in the first round, the information fully percolated through the fan base prompting The Buffalo News to ask general manager Brandon Beane about it. Beane responded, saying the team had done their due diligence and Hairston even volunteered to take a polygraph.
Here’s the full video of the response and you can read a transcript here:
New: Bills GM Brandon Beane was asked about the alleged Max Hairston accusations from early in his time at Kentucky.
“We fully investigated that … it doesn’t seem to be anything there,” Beane said. Full answer below.
Beane added Hairston even volunteered to do a polygraph. pic.twitter.com/CSZkFrEizu
— Nick Veronica (@NickVeronica) April 26, 2025
What happens next with the Maxwell Hairston sexual assault allegations?
Legally speaking, it’s a civil trial. In civil cases, the outcome is often a negotiated settlement to avoid a public trial or the lawsuit is eventually dismissed.
Even though the incident took place in 2021 when Hairston wasn’t even in college let alone the NFL, the league could still discipline Hairston with a suspension. The league may reach out to the accuser for a meeting to gather information. Based on the specifics, I don’t think a suspension is a likely outcome at this point in time.
How have the Bills handled assault allegations in the past?
There have been two notable assault allegations including Buffalo Bills players during the Brandon Beane/Sean McDermott era with the team.
In August of 2022, the team released punter Matt Araiza after allegations of a very violent sexual assault came to light. The accusations stemmed from an incident while Araiza was at San Diego State. Araiza did not tell the team about the allegations prior to the draft. The lack of information played at least some role in their decision to release their sixth-round pick before he even played a preseason game. The civil lawsuit against Araiza was dropped 16 months later and he has since signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.
In November 2023, defensive end Von Miller was accused of domestic violence in an incident in Texas while he was away from the team. It was not the first allegation against Miller but the first while he was a member of the Bills. The NFL suspended Miller for four games of the 2024 season. Miller has since been released in a salary cap and performance move unrelated to the allegations.
How will we handle the Maxwell Hairston allegations at Buffalo Rumblings?
I am not here to tell you how you should feel about the allegations, nor am I going to be the arbiter of the facts of the case. I am going to refer to a few points of SB Nation’s community guidelines you’ll hopefully read before heading down to the comments.
- Be respectful in your interactions with contributors and fellow fans.
- Don’t be a jerk, and don’t call other people jerks.
- Don’t promote, encourage, or make light of any kind of illegal activity, including … sexual assault.
Be respectful of Hairston, Hairston’s accuser, and other commenters. The accuser has pursued her claims over many years through multiple avenues. Survivors of sexual assault are constantly dismissed and not heard.
On the editorial side, we will not mention the sexual assault allegations in our coverage of Hairston unless it directly impacts him on the field, such as with a potential suspension. We will discuss it when it’s relevant. We’re a football site and we try to discuss football.
Our moderators will keep a close eye on the comments section. If you have questions or concerns, drop me a note in the comments and even if it’s hidden for one reason or another, I’ll send an email your way.