Bills GM stands firmly by rookie amid sexual assault lawsuit: 'This kid didn't run from anything'

Buffalo Bills first-round pick Maxwell Hairston is dealing with a sexual assault lawsuit while in his first training camp, and his new NFL organization has his back as he goes through it. 

Hairston was named in a civil lawsuit that claims he sexually assaulted a woman while at the University of Kentucky in 2021. 

Bills general manager Brandon Beane addressed the allegation on Wednesday, when he called the situation "frustrating," but not in the way one might think.

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"Frustrating because, in the legal world, you can’t sit there and say things back and forth. You’ve got to let it go," Beane told reporters, via The New York Post. "This happened to this young man over four years ago. He gave up his phone to prove … he took a polygraph test. This kid didn’t run from anything, he answered all of that. 

"We have to remember in society that people can make accusations and do things. I have no idea what the agenda is there. I can tell you, every stone we turned over, every door we looked behind, this is a very good young man. A young man you would let in your house, watch your kids, hang out with whoever."

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Beane continued to emphasize the type of person he and the Bills believe Hairston is. 

"He is genuinely a good person. … I think we need to remember in the world, I’m not going to get into it, but we see these accusations, sometimes these guys can be victims, too," Beane explained. "They make a lot of money. Rarely do people defend them. That’s hard for me in this seat sometimes. Because I’ve seen it. We’ve had it here with a player here a few years ago that’s no longer here that’s wrongly accused."

Rebecca Hendryx is the woman who was identified as Hairston’s accuser in the lawsuit, which was filed in Kentucky earlier this month, per ESPN

Hendryx claims that Hairston "forcefully removed" her clothes and sexually assaulted her despite allegedly telling him she did not want to participate in sexual activity. 

Hairston said on Wednesday that he went through a "thorough" investigation after police found out about the allegations while he was at the university. He was 17 at the time of the allegations. 

"The University of Kentucky did a thorough investigation," Hairston, who is not facing criminal charges, said, via the New York Post. "I was exonerated from that, as well. And I volunteered to do multiple polygraphs because I was determined to get my truth out there, because I had nothing to hide. I was an open book. 

"I have two sisters that I love dearly, and I respect all females, and I was just determined to get my truth out there. Like I said, I was an open book, and I was exonerated from both of those and just got to stay strong. But I’m confident that my truth will be out there."

Buffalo was in need of secondary help this offseason, and they used the 30th overall pick on Hairston, who went viral during the NFL Draft after cameras caught him excited for all the players who were selected before him in Green Bay. 

Hairston is expected to be a starter alongside Christian Benford, though Dane Jackson and Tre’Davious White, who reunited with the Bills for a second stint with the team, will be battling for the job as well. 

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Federal appeals court rules against Trump's birthright citizenship executive order

President Donald Trump's executive order (EO) putting an end to birthright citizenship faced another legal setback after a federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled it to be unconstitutional.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco affirmed a lower court's decision blocking the nationwide enforcement of the EO, which would deny citizenship to babies born to people illegally or temporarily in the U.S.

A three-judge panel ruled against Trump's plan in a 2-1 vote, keeping a decision first made by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour in Seattle in place.

"The district court correctly concluded that the Executive Order’s proposed interpretation, denying citizenship to many persons born in the United States, is unconstitutional. We fully agree," the majority wrote.

SCOTUS RULES ON TRUMP'S BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ORDER, TESTING LOWER COURT POWERS 

Though the Supreme Court has since restricted lower courts from issuing nationwide injunctions, the majority in the 9th Circuit ruled against the EO after discovering the case fell under an exception left open by SCOTUS justices.

States filed the case against the Trump administration after arguing that a nationwide order is needed to block the EO in order to prevent problems that would arise from birthright citizenship being outlawed in some states.

"We conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in issuing a universal injunction in order to give the States complete relief," wrote Judges Michael Hawkins and Ronald Gould, both of whom were appointed by former President Bill Clinton.

Judge Patrick Bumatay, a Trump appointee, dissented after deciding that states don't have the legal right or standing to sue the Trump administration over this.

He did not weigh in on the constitutionality of ending birthright citizenship.

HOW THE SUPREME COURT'S INJUNCTION RULING ADVANCES TRUMP'S BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP FIGHT

The Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment states that people born or naturalized in the U.S., or "subject to United States jurisdiction," are American citizens, but Department of Justice attorneys argue that does not mean children are automatically American citizens based solely on birth location.

Trump's EO would deny American citizenship to a child born to a mother without legal or permanent status in the U.S., and whose father does not hold legal or permanent status.

The Trump administration is facing at least nine lawsuits across the country challenging the EO.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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