Former NFL player Marcellus Wiley responds to rape allegations from college classmate

Marcellus Wiley took to YouTube to address serious allegations during his college years at Columbia University.

His YouTube video began with the following statement: 

"Big media is reckless and irresponsible to run with any story that is a flat out lie. Everyone should be innocent until proven guilty, and in my case, you know the guilty part ain’t happening … that’s why I’m a partner with Brinx.TV! I will never shut up on Brinx.TV."

On Tuesday, several news outlets, including the New York Post, reported that the former NFL star and ex-analyst with ESPN and Fox Sports is facing an allegation that he raped a student in 1994 when he was starring for the Columbia Lions as a sophomore.

"The victim — a sociologist with a focus on race and culture — filed a lawsuit in the New York Supreme Court accusing Wiley, 48, of attacking her in the fall of 1994, when he was a sophomore and star running back for the Columbia Lions.

"Wiley allegedly forced himself on her in her freshman dorm room, relentlessly ignoring her verbal objections and robbing her of her virginity, an attack that would later drive his victim to attempt suicide.

'“[Wiley’s] actions were intentionally designed to cause plaintiff severe emotional distress or were taken with reckless disregard of the significant and/or substantial probability of causing plaintiff severe emotional distress,” the lawsuit states."

The report from Katharine Donlevy delves into the details of the alleged incident as well as the school's response at the time. Donlevy also revealed that the alleged victim, who at one time worked for the university, was able to squash several attempts to honor Wiley as a distinguished alum out of the school's fear of bad press.

Unsurprisingly, there have been strong responses to both individuals on and offline. For the alleged victim, people have frequently questioned why it took nearly three decades for her to come forward. For Wiley, some have expressed cynicism about his defense on YouTube.

Something worth noting is that Wiley is one of several prominent sports and entertainment figures who have faced sexual assault allegations in recent weeks. Many of these lawsuits have been filed in New York under the auspices of the Adult Survivors Act, a law in the state that allows alleged victims with claims that are past the statute of limitations to file civil suits within a one-year period that expires on Friday, Nov. 24, the day after Thanksgiving.

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this article, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

If you are in the United States and you or a loved one have contemplated suicide, call the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to connect with a trained counselor.