One Of Justin Fairfax’s Accusers Also Accused Former NBA Player Corey Maggette

One of the two women who have come forward to accuse Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of rape had told friends that she was also raped by another famous man — former Duke University and NBA player Corey Maggette, the New York Times reported Monday night.

The woman, Meredith Watson, who came forward earlier this month as the second to accuse Fairfax, had issued a statement through her lawyer last week that Watson had also been raped by a basketball player while at Duke, but did not name the player. The Times quoted both a childhood friend of Watson’s and Facebook messages Watson had sent in naming Maggette as the then-player, with the friend claiming that Watson had told her in 2001 that she was raped twice during her time at Duke, and that she recognized Maggette’s name.

The report also stated that “school officials did not pursue the claim.”

Maggette issued a statement denying the allegation.

“It has only been through media accounts and a statement from Meredith Watson’s lawyer that I first learned or heard of anything about these sexual assault allegations,” Maggette said in a statement to the newspaper. “I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my life and I completely and categorically deny any such charge.”

Maggette, who is now a broadcaster for the Los Angeles Clippers on Fox Sports West, was abruptly pulled from the broadcast of Monday night’s game between the Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis, per Awful Announcing. The TV network announced that it “takes allegations of misconduct seriously, and we are looking into the matter.”

A woman who has accused Virginia's lieutenant governor of sexual assault also claims she was raped by former NBA player Corey Maggette while they were students at Duke. https://t.co/bYEloMHBLS pic.twitter.com/4CNbUqLwUM

— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) February 12, 2019

Watson claims that she was assaulted by Fairfax, also while at Duke. The other accuser, Vanessa Tyson, says that Fairfax raped her during the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004. Duke University has also announced an investigation into the accusations, while Mike Krzyzewski, then and now Duke’s basketball coach, told reporters that he didn’t know of the accusations until hearing about them this week, per Deadspin.

The accusations against Fairfax are part of an ongoing political crisis in Virginia, as Gov. Ralph Northam was found to have blackface photos in his medical school yearbook, while Attorney General Mark Herring also admitted to having worn blackface when he was a college student. All three men have refused to resign.

Maggette played at Duke for only one season, before declaring for the NBA Draft and playing 14 years in the league. He went on to play in the BIG3 league.