Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott alleged in a new lawsuit that he’s the victim of an elaborate extortion plot.
Prescott, 30, reportedly filed a suit in Texas on Monday, March 11, in response to a letter he received earlier this year which threatened to go public with allegations of sexual assault. According to ESPN, the letter claimed the incident occurred in February 2017.
The accuser’s attorneys noted that 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.” She is requesting $100 million in damages.
The letter claimed that the “pain and trauma” of the alleged assault has made a significant impact on the woman’s life, “so much that she had to attend therapy and counseling and will require future therapy and counseling.” Prescott was given until February 16 to respond.
In his 11-page countersuit, Prescott alleged defamation and slander, defamation per se, civil extortion/duress, business disparagement, tortious interference with current and/or prospective business relations, civil conspiracy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
His attorney, Levi McCathern, hit back at the woman’s “completely fabricated” accusations in a statement.
“Mr. Prescott — a new father to a baby girl — has great empathy for survivors of sexual assault,” McCathern claimed, per NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk. “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.”
McCathern asserted that the situation has been reported to the “appropriate authorities” and that Prescott will “continue to cooperate fully in their investigation.”
Prescott is seeking $1 million in relief and plans to donate the money to the Joyful Heart Foundation, “whose vision is a world free of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse, or another like-minded organization.”
Prescott was selected by the Cowboys in the 2016 NFL Draft and is entering the final year of his four-year, $160 million contract, which was signed in the 2021 offseason.
The athlete’s girlfriend, Sarah Jane Ramos, announced in November 2023 that the couple were expecting their first baby. “A little bit of heaven sent down to Earth 🤍. Our immeasurable blessing. I cannot wait to raise a strong, confident, beautiful baby girl with you @_4dak,” she wrote alongside her Instagram reveal.
Prescott shared the news via his Instagram Story, adding, “Girl dad incoming…”
Earlier this month, he told reporters that the twosome welcomed their daughter in February. “Yeah, I feel different, you wake up in the morning, you see that baby and understand the responsibilities,” Prescott gushed at a Children’s Cancer Fund Gala in Texas. “Everything that I’ve always wanted for myself, but to want that for somebody else even more. It’s special. Everybody’s healthy and at home. We’re blessed.”