Cristiano Ronaldo, the 33-year-old soccer superstar playing for Italy’s Juventus F.C., has denied that he raped a woman named Kathryn Mayorga in 2009 while partying at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The legendary player is using a tactic that was popularized by American President Donald J. Trump when he faced similar accusations — the whole thing is “fake news,” according to the Portuguese athlete.
Ronaldo posted a video on Instagram hours after Germany’s Der Spiegel published a story about him allegedly raping Mayorga.
In the clip, the father of four said, “No, no, no, no, no. What they said today. Fake, fake news. They want to promote [themselves by using] my name. It’s normal. They want to be famous to say my name, but it is part of the job. I am a happy man and all good.”
Mayorga reached out the authorities the next day after the alleged incident and said that her lawyer eventually advised her to settle out of court. The two sides reached an agreement of $375,000 for the woman’s silence in 2010.
The accuser wants the agreement to be annulled for her to be able to tell her story, and she filed a civil suit in Clark County District Court in Nevada Friday.
With the rise of the #MeToo movement, Mayorga feels that it is the right time to share her story. She claims that the incident has left suicidal, unable to work and have a fulfilling relationship. Police officials in Las Vegas have also decided to revisit the case.
According to the allegations, Ronaldo exposed his penis in front of the woman and asked her to “suck it.” He allegedly forced himself on her after that.
After the alleged rape, Ronaldo told the woman, “Sorry, I’m usually a gentleman.” Ronaldo’s lawyer, Christian Schertz, is blasting the publication that broke the story, calling the move “blatantly illegal.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzIbRvH6JX0
