DATE: Thursday, August 7, 1997              TAG: 9708070793

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MARC DAVIS, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   60 lines

BEACH WOMAN SAYS SHE WAS MANHANDLED BY NFL PLAYERSHE'S SUING DARRYL TALLEY OVER ALLEGED INCIDENT AT BRUCE SMITH'S GOLF TOURNEY.

A woman who claims she was manhandled by NFL linebacker Darryl Talley at a Virginia Beach charity golf tournament last year has filed suit against Talley, accusing him of battery and wanton misconduct.

The woman, Paula McGowan of Virginia Beach, says she was trying to get Talley's autograph for her son at the Bruce Smith Golf Classic when he picked her up against her will, slung her over his shoulder and signed his name on her upper thigh.

Her attorney, Jeffrey A. Breit, said Talley signed McGowan's body from the inside of her knee to ``an inappropriate area on her leg, in a way that was intended to shock not only the woman but those around her.''

The lawsuit seeks $200,000 in compensatory damages and $250,000 in punitive damages. No criminal charges were filed.

Breit said the incident was not playful, and that McGowan struggled to get away from Talley and told him repeatedly to put her down. The lawsuit says Talley picked up McGowan ``in a rude, insulting and angry way.''

Breit said the lawsuit sends a message: ``You cannot abuse or physically handle women just because you're a guy. Even in 1997, some people just don't get the message.''

Talley, 37, is a 6-foot-4, 235-pound linebacker. He played 14 seasons of pro football, nearly all with the Buffalo Bills, and is a two-time All-Pro player. He is now an unsigned free agent.

Talley's attorney, Joseph Shaw of Buffalo, said Wednesday he has not seen the lawsuit and cannot comment. Talley could not be reached for comment. His phone number is unlisted and Shaw would not release it.

The lawsuit, filed in Virginia Beach Circuit Court, says the incident took place May 13, 1996. McGowan was working at the golf tournament, representing a local company that Breit did not identify. The incident took place just off the 18th green in front of a crowd, Breit said.

The Bruce Smith Golf Classic is an annual charity fund-raiser at Hell's Point Golf Course. Smith and Talley played together on the Bills.

According to the lawsuit, McGowan asked Talley for his autograph, then Talley ``willfully and forcefully lifted the plaintiff off the ground, tossed her over his shoulder and subsequently placed her in a position which rendered her unable to move, resist or otherwise break free from his hold.''

McGowan was intimidated and humiliated by Talley's size, appearance and his ``menacing gestures and physical contact,'' the lawsuit says.

``I deal with hundreds of police officers and firemen and men every year,'' McGowan said through her attorney Wednesday. ``They respect me for who I am and what I do, and this man (Talley) just doesn't understand that that's how things are done these days.''

The lawsuit is the latest in a series of incidents in which prominent sports figures have been accused of misconduct.

On Sunday, NBA rookie-of-the-year Allen Iverson, a Hampton native, was arrested near Richmond and charged with possession of marijuana and a concealed weapon.

There is no hearing date yet for the Talley lawsuit. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

Darryl Talley allegedly slung the woman over his shoulder and signed

her leg.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu