Jonathan Barnett, a 75-year-old British sports agent renowned for representing high-profile footballers such as Gareth Bale and Jack Grealish, faces serious allegations in a recent U.S. lawsuit. The suit claims Barnett raped Jane Doe more than 39 times. It further alleges that he forced her to endure horrific abuse on a daily basis for six years. In 2019, Barnett was named the world’s most powerful sports agent by Forbes magazine. He was the executive chairman of CAA Stellar until his retirement last year, and he has flatly denied the allegations.
Shocking accounts of the alleged misconduct are detailed in the lawsuit. Jane Doe alleges that Barnett trafficked her from Australia to the United Kingdom in 2017. She testifies that during that period he even maintained her in a condition of slavery. She accuses Barnett of instituting draconian measures. He required her to refer to him as “My Master” and banned her from showing any signs of pain. Among other things, the allegations accuse Barnett of threatening to kill her and her minor children. Then he used controlling, coercive tactics to maintain power over them.
Barnett has been accused of using the term “slave” to refer to Jane Doe in emails sent from his university email account. The lawsuit alleges that he tortured her in various locations around the world, including Los Angeles, with harrowing accounts of being “tied up overnight without food or water.” These allegations alone create a picture of horrific mental and physical maltreatment.
Barnett continued to run the agency CAA Stellar until last year. According to the agency, when Jane Doe and her teenaged children moved to the UK to be with her spouse, the agency reimbursed their moving expenses. This important but subtle detail of the story makes us wonder what their relationship was like, and why she would have felt the need to move.
In response to the suit, Barnett denies all charges and says they are totally false and without merit. His legal team has pushed back hard against the allegations, portraying them as a politically motivated effort to destroy his character.
“This is institutional abuse at the highest level.” – Lawyers for Jane Doe
That legal action comes amid increasing recognition of abuse across multiple sectors, not just those which hold a 100th anniversary youth event. The case underscores the ongoing power and accountability conversations taking place behind the scenes and in front of powerful people.