LEXINGTON, Ky. — A former University of Kentucky student has filed a civil lawsuit against former UK football player and 2025 Buffalo Bills first-round NFL draft pick Maxwell Hairston alleging he sexually assaulted her in a UK dorm room in 2021.
The student alleges “the emotional and psychological harm she sustained made it impossible for her to continue her education in the same environment where the assault occurred.†She eventually transferred from UK.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court on Tuesday, outlines the alleged incident, which occurred in March 2021 shortly after Hairston had enrolled at UK for the spring 2021 semester as a member of the football program’s 2021 high school recruiting class. Hairston was a minor at the time.
The woman alleges Hairston came to her dorm room and ignored her repeated attempts to tell him she was not interested in having sex. She contacted police after the incident and went to the hospital for a sexual assault nurse examiner exam. The lawsuit does not include the results of that exam or a police investigation.
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Hairston, a cornerback from Michigan, was absent from Kentucky’s team throughout his freshman season in 2021. At the time a UK spokesperson cited a “personal issue†as the reason for his absence. He returned to the team in 2022 and went on to develop into one of the defense’s best players, tying for the Southeastern Conference lead in interceptions as a third-year sophomore in 2023.
After Hairston returned to the team, the woman publicly posted her allegation to her Instagram account in March 2022, but did not name Hairston in the post. In the post, she wrote a UK Title IX hearing had not ruled in her favor. At the time, UK denied an open records request for information about a Title IX investigation resulting from the allegation or any report from university police, citing student privacy laws and the accused’s status as a minor.
The 2022 Instagram post resurfaced after Hairston was drafted by the Bills in April.
“We did a lot of research,†Bills general manager Brandon Beane said the day after drafting Hairston when asked about the allegation. “Yeah, I think all teams were aware of the Title IX thing. That was fully investigated by the school. … He even volunteered to do a polygraph and had notes. It was one of those where there was zero information saying this actually happened, to what the accusation was. Just like anything in this world, you can’t just take someone’s account and say that’s the truth. Yes, we fully investigated that.
“If there was anything to that, he wouldn’t have been invited to the combine. He was at the draft last night. Every person you talk to at Kentucky — teammates, staff there — plus what we’ve done, I would say this is a heck of a young man. Every person you ask. That’s unfortunate when things like that are attached to someone’s name. In this case, it doesn’t seem to be anything there.â€
The accuser is seeking compensatory and punitive damages in the lawsuit.
Asked for comment Wednesday, a UK spokesperson said since the university was not a party to the lawsuit it could not comment on it.
“However, sexual assault allegations are thoroughly investigated and can involve police, Title IX, student conduct officials and other legal entities,†the spokesperson said in a statement. “If and when charges are warranted, or if a student is found to have violated our Code of Student Conduct, such charges and disciplinary measures are filed and pursued aggressively to protect our students.â€
