Nike Expresses Deep Concern Over Ronaldo’s Rape Allegation
The
US sportswear giant - which has a contract worth a reported $1bn (£768m) with
Ronaldo - said it would "continue to closely monitor the situation",
the Associated Press reports.
EA
Sports, which also has a contract with Ronaldo, made similar comments.
Ronaldo,
33, earlier "firmly" denied assaulting Kathryn Mayorga at a Las Vegas
hotel in 2009.
Ms
Mayorga, the 34-year-old former US teacher, was inspired to speak out by the
#MeToo movement, her lawyer said.
"The
MeToo movement and the women who have stood up and disclosed sexual assaults
has given Kathryn a lot of courage," Leslie Stovall said.
In a statement, Nike
said: "We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and will
continue to closely monitor the situation."
Meanwhile,
EA Sports told the AP: "We have seen the concerning report that details
allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo.
"We
are closely monitoring the situation, as we expect cover athletes and
ambassadors to conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with EA's
values."
In
a separate development, Juventus - the Italian club Ronaldo joined from Real
Madrid for £99.2m in July - came out in defence of its player.
In
a tweet, Juventus said: "Cristiano Ronaldo has shown in recent months his
great professionalism and dedication, which is appreciated by everyone at
Juventus."
The Portuguese
international had previously said the allegation, first reported in German
magazine Der Spiegel, was "fake news".
On
Wednesday, he issued a statement through his Twitter account:
I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape
is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in.
Keen as I may be to clear my name, I refuse to feed the media spectacle created
by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense.
My clear conscious will thereby
allow me to await with tranquillity the results of any and all investigations.
Der Spiegel said Ms
Mayorga had filed a report with Las Vegas police shortly after the alleged
incident.
But
the next year, she reportedly reached an out-of-court settlement with Ronaldo
involving a $375,000 (£288,000) payment for agreeing never to go public with
the allegations.
Her
lawyers are now seeking to declare the non-disclosure agreement void.
In
a lawsuit, Ms Mayorga says she met Ronaldo at the Rain Nightclub in the Palms
Hotel and Casino, and that he raped her in his penthouse suite.
Mr
Stovall said his client had suffered from major depression and considered
suicide since the alleged assault almost a decade ago.
He
said a psychiatrist had diagnosed Ms Mayorga with post-traumatic stress
disorder.
Las Vegas
police confirmed on Tuesday they had initially investigated
a complaint in June 2009, but added they had no suspect in the case.
"At
the time the report was taken, the victim did not provide detectives with the
location of the incident or suspect description," a statement said.
"As
of September 2018, the case has been reopened and our detectives are following
up on information being provided," it added.
Ronaldo's
lawyers have previously said they will sue Der Spiegel magazine over its reporting.
FROM .bbc.com/news/world-europe-
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