Dak Prescott has been the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys since 2016 and has been long since considered the leader and face of the franchise. As a Walter Payton Man of the Year winner, he has been considered a model for many in the area.
Despite this, the former Mississippi State quarterback was sued for sexual assault in a claim dating back to 2017 by Victoria Shores and her attorneys, Bethel T. Zehaie and Yoel T. Zehaie.
Prescott is now looking to take legal action on his own end.
Prescott and his representation have filed their suit against the accuser and her representation, accusing them of extortion and further claims of defamation and slander after receiving a letter for a settlement from Shores’ attorneys.
“Recently, Mr. Prescott found himself the subject of an extortion plot,” Prescott’s attorney Levi McCathern said. “The Defendant and her legal team have threatened to go public with a completely fabricated story of sexual assault from nearly a decade ago, and demanded that Mr. Prescott immediately pay $100 million in exchange for her not pressing false charges with the authorities.”
McCathern later cited Prescott as “empathetic” to survivors of sexual assault but explained he “never engaged in any nonconsensual, sexual conduct with anyone. Lies hurt. Especially, malicious lies. We will not allow the Defendant and her legal team to profit from this attempt to extort millions from Mr. Prescott.”
“Our client, Victoria Shores, back in 2017, was raped by Mr. Prescott,” Yoel Zehaie said during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas Tuesday. “[Prescott] has changed his story since we’ve been hired on this case. He initially said he needed assistance remembering her … that he remembered her, vaguely … and now he says it was consensual.
“This story about extortion, we were really taken aback when we saw it. This is just a legal maneuver. This is a classic move to discredit sexual assault victims. We sent a demand letter, which is very common practice in [civil matters]. There’s nothing extortionist about it. … We’re just very disappointed that he [Prescott’s attorney] would try to flip the script and make [his client] the victim.”
The lawsuit could trigger an investigation by the NFL, which under its personal conduct policy reserves the right to hand out to suspensions and fines to those the league determines have engaged in sexual misconduct.
In the letter to Prescott, Shores’ representation states she “has had to live with this pain and trauma for 7 years,” with her relationship with her fiancé and her existence being affected the most.
Prescott was given until February 16 to reach a settlement offer of $100 million but has swiftly taken his accusers to court. He has reportedly notified the proper authorities in the process.
Dallas’ starting quarterback has vowed, per his representation, to donate any recovery as a result of his lawsuit to the “Joyful Heart Foundation, whose vision is a world free of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse, or another like-minded organization.”
UPDATED (March 14): The Dallas Morning News reported Thursday that police departments in two different jurisdictions have separate active investigations involving Prescott.
Dallas police are looking into claims by the alleged victim that Prescott sexually assaulted her in a strip club parking lot in 2017.
And Prosper, Texas, police are investigating Prescott’s claim he was extorted.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned for further updates.
