Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard faces a hefty lawsuit after a woman came forward who claimed he knowingly gave her genital herpes – an incurable sexually transmitted disease.
The woman filed the lawsuit anonymously in Broward County Circuit Court Thursday, seeking damages in excess of $30,000. She also demands that the lawsuit be heard before a jury, according to court documents.
Howard, a second-round pick with the Dolphins in the 2016 Draft, is one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL. His 27 career interceptions since he entered the league is the most of any player in that period.
The pair met at a Quest Diagnostics lab in early 2018, where Howard asked her on a date, the lawsuit said. At the beginning of their relationship, he told her that he didn’t have any STDs, even with his negative test results.
In 2019, Howard learned that he had contracted genital herpes but did not tell the woman, according to the suit. Instead, he stuck to his claim that he had been tested several times, without contracting any STDs.
“With knowledge of his incurable sexually transmitted disease and without disclosure, Defendant Howard continued to have unprotected sex with Plaintiff without informing her,” the lawsuit read.
After being tested in 2021, she found that she had tested positive for the lifelong disease and knew that Howard was the only person who “could have transmitted genital herpes to her,” the lawsuit alleges.
Howard initially denied having herpes when she confronted him about the results — but eventually admitted to knowing he had it and apologized for passing the disease on to her.
“Maaaaan I told you I was sorry I gave it to you,” he told her, according to the lawsuit. “But what can I do now? The damage has been done. You keep bringing it up as if it will totally change. As if you can’t go any further.’
After her diagnosis, the woman said Howard made her feel she had no choice but to have sex with him because she could spread the disease to someone else, the lawsuit said.
“Frightened, confused, and never wanting to do what Defendant Howard did to her to anyone else, Plaintiff continued to engage in sexual intercourse with Defendant Howard,” the lawsuit reveals.
Edwards Pottinger LLC, the law firm representing the woman, did not immediately respond for comment.
In April, Howard signed a new five-year contract worth $50.69 million in new money through the 2026 season. So far this season, Howard has logged 20 tackles and a team-high five pass breakups for the Dolphins, which going into a week 8 road game against the Detroit Lions 4-3.
The dolphins have not yet responded to a request for comment.
