Why we should be taking the Cristiano Ronaldo news with a pinch of salt

German outlet, Der Spiegel, reports that a Nevada woman is suing Cristiano Ronaldo claiming that the Portuguese star raped her in Las Vegas.

Cristiano Ronaldo is facing rape allegations stemming from a claim back in 2009. The latest article by Der Spiegel is the second time this claim resurfaces.

Der Spiegel published the first of its two articles back in 2017. The outlet obtained the account, as well as other documents, from Football Leaks, a sort of whistle-blower site for soccer. On that occasion, not much came from the claim and it was almost forgotten about.

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However, this time it has the potential to be vastly different.

To start with, Der Spiegel now has the name of the victim/accuser. Her name is Kathryn Mayorga. Prior to making her story public, the document obtained from Football Leaks identified her as “Susan K.”

Mayorga signed a non-disclosure agreement where she agreed to drop all charges and certify that she has “permanently destroyed or deleted any and all electronic, written or other materials generated or received as a result of the alleged events.”

Any settlement she agreed to would be nullified if she came forward.

One of the reasons Mayorga has decided to come forward is because the first time around, the lawyer representing her was inexperienced. Her new lawyer believes that the non-disclosure agreement is “not legally binding and he has filed a civil complaint against Ronaldo in Kathryn Mayorga’s name.”

In addition, the lawyer is in possession of a 27-page document that corroborates the victim’s claims of what happened that night.

Perhaps the most damning for Ronaldo is the one where he’s quoted as saying, “She said no and stop several times.”

For his part, Ronaldo has come out and called the accusations “fake news.”

In an Instagram video, he also said, “You want to promote by 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.”

In response to Ronaldo’s ‘fake news’ claim, her attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall, wrote, “Ms. Mayorga’s filed complaint, the physical evidence of her sexual assault, answers to written questions regarding the sexual assault attributed to Cristiano Ronaldo, the communications and conduct of the ‘team’ representing Cristiano Ronaldo, the circumstances surrounding the purported agreement for settlement and non disclosure, and the psychological injuries suffered by Ms. Mayorga are not fake news.”

The Las Vegas Police Department have reopened the case at the request of Kathryn Mayorga. The police release a statement stating that as of September 2018, the case has been opened. Since it is an ongoing investigation they also stated that they would be making no further comments.

There will undoubtedly be people who will defend Cristiano Ronaldo blindly and claim that the victim is just after money. Ronaldo’s claim has that tone to it.

The fact of the matter is that it takes a lot to come forward for someone who was raped. For these victims, there is no amount of money that will make it worth it going through public scrutiny and one’s life being scrutinized in an effort to destroy their character. Especially in sports where there are people who idolize athletes and take any attack on their favorite player as a personal attack on them.

If Ronaldo is innocent, then the investigation and results will prove that.

If this feels like it’s one-sided it’s because it kind of is. We’ve seen far too often where public opinion skews to the athlete’s side and the other person is called every name in the book.

Next. Chelsea & Borussia Dortmund show contrast in their play. dark

Despite the fact that this is technically outside the scope of soccer, it’s still worth talking, and writing, about. “Sticking to sports” is not an option anymore.

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