Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has filed a lawsuit against a woman he claims tried to extort him out of $100 million by alleging he sexually assaulted her after his rookie season.
The suit, filed Monday in Collin County, Texas, names the woman who made the claims as a defendant as well as her attorneys Bethel Zehaie and Yoel Zehaie.
“This case arises out of a blatant attempt by [the woman] and her legal team to extort plaintiff Dak Prescott by weaponizing patently false, yet heinous sexual assault allegations with no basis in reality,” the lawsuit said.
Attempts by NBC News to reach the woman along with her lawyers were unsuccessful Wednesday. NBC News doesn’t typically name alleged sexual assault victims.
“Dak and his lawyers are trying to be bullies and play hardball and victim blame,” Bethel Zehaie said in a statement to The Washington Post. “We are not afraid of the truth.”
Around February 13, Prescott’s representatives received correspondence from the woman’s legal counsel, accusing Prescott of sexually assaulting her in February 2017 following his rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys, the suit states.
The woman requested $100 million in exchange for foregoing pressing criminal charges and going public with the allegations, the suit said.
“We will not allow the defendant and her legal team to profit from this attempt to extort millions from Mr. Prescott,” Prescott’s attorney, Levi McCathern, said in a statement.
On Monday, Bethel Zehaie told NBC 5 in Dallas that the alleged sexual assault happened in 2017 outside XTC Cabaret.
The defendant didn’t work at the Dallas club and did not file a police report at the time, Zehaie told the station. The legal team added that they would be filing a criminal complaint on behalf of the accuser.
“Sexual assault is a despicable crime that no person should ever endure,” the suit said, adding that Prescott is a new father to a baby girl and has great empathy for survivors of sexual assault.
The defendants’ “horrible lies not only threaten to destroy the legitimate legacy of a great man and cost him tens of millions of dollars, but defendants’ conduct is criminal,” the suit said. Prescott seeks $1 million in damages, attorney fees and court costs.
Presctott’s lawyers said allegations such as the ones presented to him in the alleged extortion plot can prevent sexual assault survivors from coming forward.
“False claims in this regard undermine the courage of actual sexual assault survivors everywhere as well as the legitimacy of the horrific traumas they have endured,” the suit said.
In 2021, Prescott signed a four-year deal with the Cowboys worth $160 million, NBC Sports reported.
