Portuguese footballer star and Italian club Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo has denied claims he raped a model in a Las Vegas hotel room nine years ago and said that his accusers are ‘seeking to promote themselves’.
He took to Twitter to counter allegations and said, ‘rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in’ as he again says accusers are ‘seeking to promote themselves’.
On Monday Las Vegas police reopened an investigation into Kathryn Mayorga’s claims that Ronaldo raped her in 2009.
Mayorga, a 34-year-old teacher who was an aspiring model at the time of the alleged assault, claims Ronaldo raped her in a bathroom at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in the early hours of June 13, 2009.
Court papers claimed he attacked her even though she was screaming ‘No, no, no!’
According to court papers, Ronaldo apologized after the alleged attack, telling Mayorga, “Sorry, I’m usually a gentleman.”
Mayorga went to Vegas cops the day after the encounter and evidence was collected.
But the 34-year-old reached a $350,000 settlement with Ronaldo that included a non-disclosure agreement in 2010. She remained silent until last week when she told Germany’s Der Spiegel her story, citing the sentiment of the #MeToo movement.
Now, Las Vegas cops have reopened their investigation into the incident.
Ronaldo wrote on Twitter: ‘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.’
In a second tweet, he added: ‘My clear conscious will thereby allow me to await with tranquility the results of any and all investigations.’
Yesterday, the Juventus star watched his team play as he prepared to fight the allegations.
The 33-year-old was accompanied by his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez, 23, and his seven-year-old son Cristiano to watch the Italian giants play Swiss underdogs Young Boys in the Champions League group stage.
He was unable to play after getting a one-match ban for being sent off in the previous round against Valencia.
