Nike dropped Neymar after investigating sexual assault

There are now two allegations of sexual assault against Neymar known. (AP Photo / Francois Mori)

In 2020, Nike and Neymar split. It was a shocking move considering the Paris Saint-Germain star was the face of the brand in South America and has been with the company since he was 13. No reason for the split was publicly stated at the time, and Neymar met rival Puma two weeks later.

A new report from Khadeeja Safdar of the Wall Street Journal Colors that emerge in a new light.

According to the Journal, Nike ended its relationship with one of the greatest athletes on its list after one of its employees claimed he sexually assaulted her in 2016. This claim is different from the claim a Brazilian model made against Neymar in 2019.

When Nike hired a law firm to investigate the employee’s allegation in 2019, a year after filing a complaint, Neymar reportedly denied the claim but refused to cooperate with the investigation.

From the diary:

“Nike terminated its relationship with the athlete for refusing to cooperate in a bona fide investigation into an investigation into credible allegations of employee misconduct,” said Hilary Krane, Nike general counsel, in response to questions from the Journal.

Ms. Krane said Nike had not previously discussed the matter publicly because “not a single fact has emerged that would allow us to discuss the matter substantively.” It would be inappropriate for Nike to make an accusatory statement without being able to provide supporting facts. “

While this marked the end of Nike’s official relationship with Neymar, the brand still has its Swoosh on its jerseys through partnerships with PSG and the Brazilian national team.

Neymar reportedly tried to force Nike employees into oral sex

The unnamed alleged victim is described in the report as a long-time Nike employee who is still employed by the company. She reportedly helped coordinate logistics with Neymar’s team for a Jordan branded event that fueled a new collaboration with the star.

Here’s how she described what happened after the event, according to the Journal:

After midnight, in the early hours of June 2, the hotel staff asked the woman, along with another Nike employee, Neymar, who appeared to be drunk, to help into his room in the hotel, the woman told friends and Nike colleagues about this Evening and then with days. She told these people that when she was briefly alone in the room with Neymar, he took off his underwear and tried to force them to have oral sex. She said Neymar tried to prevent her from leaving the room and then chased her down the hotel corridor while he was still undressed.

The employee shared the incident with several friends, family members and Nike employees that evening and in the days and weeks that followed.

The employee reportedly filed her complaint in 2018 when other women made harassment and discrimination allegations at Nike. Investigations into their claim did not reportedly begin until another sexual assault allegation was filed against Neymar.

Despite reports from the woman, who told several friends, family members and colleagues about the experience, Neymar’s spokeswoman reportedly protested the claim:

Neymar’s spokeswoman said the two sides had been in talks since 2019. “It is very strange that a case that should have happened in 2016 with allegations by a Nike employee only came to light at this point,” said the spokeswoman.

In another sexual assault case, charges against Neymar were dropped

The first known sexual assault against Neymar was alleged rape in 2019. As the prosecutor reportedly described the encounter, she agreed to have sex with the star in a Paris hotel room, but changed her mind when he did not have a condom . At this point, he allegedly became “aggressive”.

“When I asked him if he would bring a condom, he said no. So I told him nothing would happen,” Mendes de Souza said on Brazilian TV SBT. “He wasn’t listening, he turned around and he did the deed. I said, ‘Stop. Stop. No! Stop.’ But he didn’t say much. He just acted. I just want justice. He traumatized me very much. I want him to pay for what he did. “

The charges were later dropped when prosecutors said there was no way to confirm the model’s report of what happened in the room.

However, prosecutors felt comfortable enough with their knowledge of what happened to charge the model with procedural fraud, defamatory denunciation, and extortion. According to the Journal, the defamation and extortion allegations were later dismissed and the model was acquitted of the fraud charge in 2020.

The model’s spokeswoman told the journal that she stood by her original account.

Neymar is still collecting advertising money

Despite being ditched by Neymar on sexual assault allegations now is the most visible episode, he remains one of the highest-paid athletes and most sought-after supporters in the world.

According to the journal, Neymar currently has marketing contracts with Puma, Red Bull, Qatar Airways, PokerStars, SuperDry and the “Fortnite” publisher Epic Games.

Sportico’s most recent list of the world’s highest paid athletes found Neymar to be the world’s sixth highest paid athlete, who has made an estimated $ 100 million in recent months.

More from Emox News:

Source link