TMZ: Raiders cornerback Gareon Conley sues woman who accused him of rape

Frank Schwab
·NFL writer

Oakland Raiders cornerback Gareon Conley had his NFL draft experience turn into a nightmare.

In 2017, Conley became one of the big stories of the draft when he was accused of raping a woman weeks before the draft. The investigation was ongoing during the draft, and Conley — considered one of the top cornerback prospects in the class — fell a bit amid the uncertainty. The Raiders took him 24th overall.

Conley was cleared in the case last July. A grand jury declined charges against him. Conley, according to TMZ, is now suing the woman who accused him, claiming he lost money due to the draft fall and also lost some endorsement opportunities.

Conley gives his side of the story

TMZ cited court documents in its story, and said Conley claims the accuser “aggressively tried to have sex with him during the night in question” but he turned her down, she was embarrassed and then she lied to officials out of spite.

The incident in question happened on April 9 last year in Cleveland. Conley met a woman and she accused him of having sex with her after she told him to stop. No charges were ever brought and Conley was cleared after a long investigation. In court documents for his lawsuit, TMZ said Conley accused her of “malicious criminal prosecution.”

There was no way for Conley to recoup the money he lost after sliding in the draft. Conley signed a $10.467 million, four-year deal with the Raiders. For a comparison, Conley’s Ohio State teammate Marshon Lattimore went 11th overall to the New Orleans Saints and got a four-year deal worth $15.36 million.

Also, TMZ reported that in court documents Conley said he lost out on endorsement deals, including one from Nike.

How is Conley doing in the NFL?

Not only did Conley’s NFL career begin with some controversy, he had a mostly lost rookie season.

Conley had a shin injury that eventually required surgery. He was limited to just two games last season. But this offseason Conley has impressed a new Raiders coaching staff. He is slated to start for Oakland this season.

Conley seems to be moving beyond a tough 2017 on the field, and wants to be paid back for everything he lost off the field.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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