Meredith Watson is one of the women who claims she was sexually assaulted by Virginia’s lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax. Now it is being reported she was also raped by former NBA player and Fox Sports analyst Corey Maggette.
The New York Times reports Watson was allegedly raped 20 years ago at Duke University by Maggette “and that school officials did not pursue the claim, according to a childhood friend of the woman and Facebook messages the woman exchanged with another friend.”
Maggette, played at Duke for one year from 1998 to 1999. He played in the NBA from 1999 to 2013 with teams such as the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers and the Detroit Pistons. He is now an analyst for Fox Sports, who said in a statement, “Fox Sports takes allegations of misconduct seriously, and we are looking into the matter. We have no further comment at this time.”
The New York Times reports Maggette has denied all allegations, “It has only been through media accounts and a statement from Meredith Watson’s lawyer that I first learned or heard of anything about these sexual assault allegations. I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my life and I completely and categorically deny any such charge.”
Duke University also released a statement that didn’t name Maggette, “We are in the process of gathering information to determine what policies and procedures were in place during the time period in which these events are alleged to have occurred, and whether they were activated and followed. We are not able to provide further information or comment on any individual at this time.”
Meredith Watson came forward on Feb. 8 and claimed Justin Fairfax raped her while they were students at Duke University in 2000, according to a new report from the Washington Post. Watson’s claim came less than a week after Vanessa Tyson said Fairfax forced her to give him oral sex during the summer of 2004.
Watson’s lawyer told the Post that her client only wants Fairfax to resign. That echoed the sentiments of Tyson, who said she only went public after she saw Fairfax was on the verge of being elevated to governor when it was discovered that Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has racist images on his medical school yearbook page.
However, Northam has refused to resign, even as Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring admitted Wednesday that he, too, has worn blackface in the past. If Northam, Herring and Fairfox resign, that would make House of Delegates Speaker Kirk Cox, who has called for Fairfax to resign, the governor of Virginia.
Fairfax has denied Tyson’s claims and has not commented on the reports from Watson. However, the majority of Fairfax’s staff resigned as of yesterday.
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Black Lawmakers Could Lead Virginia Past Blackface, Sex Scandals
