Marcellus Wiley Denies Sexual Assault Allegations Amid New Lawsuit and Public Response

Former NFL defensive end and sports media personality Marcellus Wiley has been accused of sexual assault by four individuals, according to reports first published by Rolling Stone on April 29 and later addressed by Awful Announcing.

On Tuesday morning, Wiley responded to the allegations during a segment on his YouTube show, stating:

"Pick a date, pick the encounter, pick the allegation. For every one of them, I either saw, communicated — through email, text, phone — was invited by these individuals after these dates to engage, to be intimate, or all the above. After the dates that are in question, OK? So this matters. Why does it matter? . . . Because it directly contradicts the narrative that they’re trying to present publicly."

Wiley further questioned the accusers, asking:

"Why did you continue to see or maintain friendly communication at minimum that can be verified — will be verified — with someone that you’re accusing after the alleged incidents?"

He drew a comparison to the criminal trial of NFL player Stefon Diggs, who was acquitted of strangulation and assault charges on the same Tuesday that Wiley addressed these allegations.

Unlike Diggs, Wiley faces accusations from multiple individuals and has not been charged with any crime. He emphasized his commitment to defending his reputation, particularly for the sake of his son:

"To you, it’s about money. To me, it’s about my son’s name that he will one day Google and think that this is about him, but he’s gonna know it’s about his dad. And how dare you stain the brain of my child and his hero."

Wiley did not address the specific details of the allegations, likely to avoid potential legal repercussions, as any statements could be used against him in court.

Later that evening, Wiley shared court documents on Twitter showing that three prior allegations against him had been dismissed. The new lawsuit also names Columbia University, seeking class-action certification against both Wiley and the institution. A hearing regarding potential class-action certification is scheduled for May 12.

Wiley retains the right to fully defend himself against the allegations, as he has faced no criminal charges in connection with any of the claims. The outcome of the litigation remains uncertain, but Wiley’s response signals his intent to aggressively challenge the accusations.

Wiley’s professional background includes a 10-year NFL career with teams such as the Bills, Chargers, Cowboys, and Jaguars. He previously worked at ESPN until 2018 and later joined Fox Sports, departing in 2022.