Cristiano Ronaldo's long legacy could go out the window if these troubling allegations are true.
In 2009, Kathryn Mayorga was allegedly raped by Ronaldo in a Las Vegas hotel room. She was afraid to come out with the story due to the backlash she would receive from the player's fanbase. She eventually received a small settlement and was told to never mention it again.
That's not even where the story gets troubling.
Her unexperienced lawyer (specialised on traffic violations) hacked out a deal with high-profile lawyers who usually have Hollywood clients. They settled on $375.000, Mayorga had to be silent and never mention the incident ever again. #CR7 stated that the sex was consensual. 3/24
— Christoph Winterbach (@derWinterbach) September 30, 2018
Spiegel Online went on to investigate the sexual assault. Ronaldo's lawyers claimed the work was "a piece of journalistic fiction", but never went on to explain what exactly was false. Spiegel Online did an abundance of detailed research, far from fabrication.
After the rise of the Me Too movement, Mayorga began to speak out about the incident. It finally brought light to the situation. Though Ronaldo has denied the allegations, there's a questionnaire out there that really puts the superstar soccer player in a terrible light.
It's a questionnaire made by his lawyers. Ronaldo seems to partly confirm Mayorga's version & stated that "she didn't want to, but she made herself available." In a later version of that questionnaire, these answers are gone. #CR7 is quoted saying it was consensual. 10/24 pic.twitter.com/1gsAcb5vZw
— Christoph Winterbach (@derWinterbach) September 30, 2018
"She didn't want to, but she made herself available."
Mayorga claims to have told Ronalldo no, and stop, several times. Despite this, he allegedly continued. Ronaldo has stated since day one that their relations were consensual.
Ronaldo and his lawyers have claimed that the accusations are illegal, that they violate his personal rights, and that the investigations are untrue. He even took to Instagram to say that the story was "fake news". Everything reported is pretty damning, though. While some sexual assault allegations have a hard time holding weight, this one is too evident.
The Me Too movement is one of the most important steps we have made as a society in decades. While many have loved and looked up to Ronaldo for years, it's important to set fandom aside and know that if this is all true, it's simply disgusting. He'll lose millions of fans and rightfully so.