Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard reportedly is being sued by a woman who claims that he gave her genital herpes, which is a lifelong sexually transmitted disease.
According to the Sun Sentinel’s Angie DiMichele, the lawsuit states that Howard was negligent in letting the woman know that he had genital herpes.
“The lawsuit, filed in Broward County, seeks damages in excess of $30,000 and a jury trial,” DiMichele wrote.
According to the complaint, Howard admitted to the woman that he had genital herpes after originally telling her that he had a clean STD screening.
“Maaaaan I been told you I was sorry for giving it to you,” Howard allegedly told the woman, according to the complaint. “But what can I do now? The damage is done.”
It’s really an awful move by Howard if true, as the woman is now forced to live with an incurable disease. According to the complaint it has caused her “mental anguish, loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, and past and future medical expenses.”
The attorney representing the woman is confident that they’ll be able to prove that Howard was negligent in his actions.
“She’s looking forward to proving what we have alleged, and we expect just based on the reckless conduct in which he’s engaged that she won’t be the only person making similar allegations,” the woman’s attorney Brad Edwards said. “I would be surprised if she is.”
Howard, who is arguably the best player on Miami’s defense, has put himself in a tough spot for his actions and will likely suffer the consequences financially if the woman wins the case.
The Dolphins need their star cornerback focused on the football field this season, as he’s one of the best defensive players in the NFL. The Dolphins are currently 4-3 on the season and need to bounce back over the next few weeks after they had a three-game losing streak earlier this season.
Miami has dealt with plenty of injuries to its secondary, mainly cornerback Byron Jones and safety Brandon Jones.
Without those players, Howard is certainly the leader in the team’s secondary. Even though he has yet to record an interception this season, Howard picked off 10 passes in the 2020 season and five in the 2021 campaign.
The star corner now has to own up to his actions off the field, something that Edwards believes was avoidable had he done the right thing in the first place.
“If he were to do the right thing, there’s no way it should ever get to this point,” Edwards said. “When you mess up, take responsibility, make up for it, own up to it, and that’s just not what has happened or what seems like is going to happen, so this is the way that she’s going to get justice.”
A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection, Howard is under contract with the Dolphins through the 2026 season. He is one of the highest paid cornerbacks in the NFL, with his current deal sitting at five years, $90 million.
Dolphins fans are hoping that this incident won’t affect Howard’s play as the team tries to earn a playoff spot in the AFC this season.
