Former NFL Star Marcellus Wiley Faces Allegations of Grooming a Teen and Multiple Sexual Assaults in Shocking Lawsuit
New allegations against former NFL veteran Marcellus Wiley are evolving into a wider legal battle, as several women now accuse him of sexual assault in a case that dates back to the 1990s.
A lawsuit was filed in New York in April, featuring four accusers, including a former ESPN production assistant. Their allegations contribute to three previous lawsuits that accuse Wiley of rape during his tenure at Columbia University in 1994. The initial cases were introduced in 2023 and subsequently expanded in 2025. Wiley has refuted all allegations, previously labeling the initial lawsuit as “BS,” while his attorneys dismissed claims of sexual misconduct in a court filing from 2024.
The recent complaint details purported incidents that occurred between 1995 and 2009 in California, New York, and Texas. In the late 1990s, two women allege that Wiley assaulted them in California. One stated he “overpowered me and raped me,” adding, “Afterward, I felt humiliated and shamed…so I never told anyone.” Another individual claims she was raped at a hotel in 1999 while she was a senior at USC and reported the incident to the LAPD, although no charges were pursued.
Another accuser alleges that Wiley started “grooming me” at the age of 13 after they met during a middle school visit while he was playing for the Buffalo Bills.
Wiley approached, reduced speed, and came to a stop beside me. She wrote, “He lowered the window, called me by name, and asked me to come over.” She says he gave her tickets and gifts and invited her to his Orchard Park home, calling her “little momma.”
Wiley often referenced his sociology degree from Columbia University, which gave me the impression that he was both respected and trustworthy. “He repeatedly handed me the same CDs to clean,” she wrote. “My entire sense of self was intertwined with the conviction that I would one day marry Wiley.” She claims that he subsequently flew her to Dallas when she turned 18 and assaulted her, stating, “Marcellus Wiley raped me on my 18th birthday, after grooming me from the age of 13,” and adding, “If Columbia had properly pursued the complaints… I would never have been groomed and raped.”
The ex-ESPN employee claims that Wiley enticed her to his hotel room in 2009, presenting it as a work meeting.
“He pressed me against the windows of the room with such force that I feared they would break,” she wrote. “I was filled with terror and thought I was going to be murdered.” She asserts that he subsequently compelled her onto a bed and masturbated onto her, disregarding her pleas for him to stop. “The assault had a profound impact on me, and I continue to bear the consequences to this day,” she wrote.
The lawsuit further alleges that Columbia University facilitated Wiley’s actions. Attorney Laura Gentile claimed that the school was aware of the complaints but merely put him on academic probation. “Through the promotion, protection, and elevation of a sexual predator…” Columbia University constructed a misleading portrayal of Wiley, which in turn facilitated his alarming tendency to commit acts of rape and assault against women, she stated.
As reported by Rolling Stone, one of the initial accusers is now advocating for the case to be transformed into a class action lawsuit against both Wiley and Columbia. A hearing regarding that request is set for May 12.
