Former NFL Player Marcellus Wiley Accused of Rape in 1994 at Columbia University

Marcellus Wiley, who used to play in the NFL and worked as an ESPN analyst, is facing a lawsuit accusing him of raping a fellow student at Columbia University in 1994. The accuser, who hasn’t been named, filed the lawsuit this Tuesday. She claims that Wiley, who was then a sophomore and a member of the university’s football team, sexually assaulted her multiple times in her dorm room.

The lawsuit says Wiley’s actions were meant to cause serious emotional harm or were extremely careless about the likelihood of causing such harm. When the victim reported the rape to university officials, they reportedly showed a preference for Wiley and doubted her story, suggesting it was a misunderstanding.

A Residential Dean at Columbia, Kathleen McDermott, is alleged to have dismissed the victim’s claims, saying cultural differences might have led to a misinterpretation of Wiley’s actions. Columbia University allegedly promised to discipline Wiley but didn’t expel him, instead putting him on academic probation for poor grades, not for the sexual assault. There were also other reports of Wiley assaulting students, but nothing was done about those.

The victim is suing not only Wiley but also Columbia University for their handling of her and other students’ allegations, claiming it caused her psychological, financial, and academic harm.

Marcellus Wiley graduated from Columbia in 1997 and then played for various NFL teams. He’s also known for his role as an ESPN analyst on SportsNation. Wiley will appear on the current season of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” as his wife, Annemarie Wiley, joins the show.

This lawsuit is filed under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, allowing a one-year window for filing civil claims in sexual assault cases, regardless of when they happened. This window is closing soon.