Dak Prescott is suing a woman who accused him of sexual assault, claiming that she made a false accusation in an attempt to extort the Dallas Cowboys quarterback of $100 million.
Prescott filed the lawsuit in Collin County, Texas on Monday, the Dallas Morning News reports. Per the lawsuit, the defendant claims that Prescott sexually assaulted her in the backseat of his SUV in 2017 in Plano, Texas after the conclusion of his rookie season.
Per the lawsuit, the unnamed defendant and her attorneys Bethel and Yoel Zehaie sent a letter to Prescott's alma mater Mississippi State on January 16 about the alleged sexual assault. That letter was subsequently sent to Prescott's attorneys. Per the Morning-News, the letter sought $100 million from Prescott in order to keep quiet about the alleged sexual assault.
Through his attorney Levi G. McCathern, Prescott denied on Monday that a sexual assault took place. The lawsuit characterizes the letter as part of an extortion plot and seeks damages from the defendant in excess of $1 million. McCathern described the defendant's actions as "criminal" in a statement to media.
"Mr. Prescott — a new father to a baby girl — has great empathy for survivors of sexual assault," McCathern's statement reads, per the Morning News. "He fervently believes that all perpetrators of such crimes should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
"To be clear, Mr. Prescott has never engaged in any nonconsensual, sexual conduct with anyone. Lies hurt. Especially, malicious lies. We will not allow the Defendant and her legal team to profit from this attempt to extort millions from Mr. Prescott."
The lawsuit contains the contents of the letter sent by the accuser's attorneys. Per the lawsuit, the letter promises to forgo public disclosure or the pursuit of criminal charges in exchange for financial compensation.
"(The accuser) has had to live with this pain and trauma for 7 years," the letter reads, per the Morning News. "It affected her relationship with her fiancé and her everyday existence so much that she had to attend therapy and counseling and will require future therapy and counseling. She has suffered mental anguish that is unimaginable dealing with the trauma of being a sexual assault of victim.
"Despite the tragic events, she is willing to forego pursuing criminal charges, along with disclosing this information to the public, in exchange for compensating her for the mental anguish she has suffered."
Per the Morning News, the letter sought a response from Prescott by Feb. 13
Prescott has not publicly addressed the subject outside of his lawsuit and his attorney's statement. The Cowboys declined to comment on the lawsuit, and the accuser's attorneys didn't return a call requesting comment Monday, per the Morning News.
Prescott, 30, is approaching his eighth season with the Cowboys, who drafted him as a rookie out of Mississippi State in 2016. He's become the face of the franchise as its starting quarterback from his first NFL game. He's approaching the final year of a four-year, $160 million contract extension he signed in 2021.
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