PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston said Wednesday he is "confident that my truth will be out there" in the wake of a lawsuit filed against him earlier this month in which an Ohio woman accused him of sexual assault while both were at the University of Kentucky in 2021.
"This is something I've been dealing with since I was 17," Hairston said in his first comments to the media since the lawsuit was filed. "It's been four years now, and I went through this whole process with the police. They went through a thorough investigation, and I was exonerated from that.
"The University of Kentucky did a thorough investigation. I was exonerated from that, as well. And I volunteered to do multiple polygraphs 'cause 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."
The lawsuit was filed July 1 by a woman who identifies herself as Rebecca Hendryx. It alleges Hendryx and Hairston met in early 2021 outside of their residence hall and in March of that year, Hairston went to Hendryx's room without invitation and followed her into her bedroom after she declined to "hang out."
After Hendryx "[expressed] ... her non-interest in engaging in sexual intercourse with him several times," Hairston "forcefully removed" her pajama shorts and sexually assaulted her, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges that Hendryx filed a police report "within hours" and received a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) exam.
No charges have been filed against Hairston.
Dani Jaffe, a spokeswoman for the University of Kentucky and university police, said she could not comment on the lawsuit but that "sexual assault allegations are thoroughly investigated and can involve police, Title IX, student conduct officials and other legal entities. 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."
Hairston was selected by the Bills with the 30th pick in April's NFL draft. Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane said at the time the Bills had "fully investigated" the allegation, and Hairston confirmed Wednesday the team had asked him about it prior to his selection.
"They did their own thorough investigation; they found everything they needed to find," Hairston said. "I was open and willing. Nothing to hide because, again, I was being truthful since the start. And yeah, that's why I'm here now: 'Cause the Bills know the truth and they know the real."
Beane doubled down on his support for Hairston during his news conference after the team's first training camp practice when asked if anything changed following the filing of the suit.
"No, no, no ... It's frustrating. I think I reiterated that after the draft, it's frustrating because in the legal world you can't sit there and say things back and forth. You got to let it go," Beane said. "But this happened to this young man over four years ago. He gave up his phone to prove some of ... he took a polygraph test. This kid didn't run from anything. He answered every single thing. We did that.
"We have to remember in society that people can make accusations and do things, and I have no idea what the agenda is there, but 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, you would let watch your kids, hang out with whoever, like he is genuinely a good person. He's got sisters, he's got a mother, he's got a great family, raised the right way. I've met his parents. I've met his close family."
"I would feel terrible if someone said that about one of my sons, and I think we need to remember in the world, like, sometimes these guys, and I'm not going to get into it, but we see these accusations, sometimes these guys can be victims too," Beane continued. "They make a lot of money, and I just want to make sure, nobody, rarely do people defend them, and 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 was wrongly accused. And it's frustrating, and everyone should ... anyone that's met Maxwell Hairston genuinely knows what a great young man is."
ESPN's Shwetha Surendran contributed to this report.