Allegations of sexual assault at the root of the divorce between Nike and Neymar

The veil has been lifted on the breach of contract that occurred in August 2020 between the American equipment supplier Nike and the player of Paris-Saint-Germain, Neymar. In a statement sent to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on the night of Thursday to Friday, May 28, the comma mark explains that the Brazilian star refused to cooperate in an internal investigation after one of his employees accused the player of sexually assaulting her.

“Nike ended its partnership with the athlete because he refused to cooperate in a good faith investigation into credible allegations of wrongdoing made by an employee”, is it written in this press release which confirms information from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

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“The investigation was inconclusive”, nevertheless wanted to specify the equipment manufacturer, adding: “No body of facts has emerged that would allow us to rule on the merits of the case. It would be inappropriate for Nike to make an accusatory statement without being able to provide supporting facts ”.

Joined by the WSJ, the spokesperson for the player assured in a statement that “Neymar Jr. will vigorously defend himself against these baseless attacks in the event that any allegation is made, which has not happened so far.”. And she claimed the two sides had separated for business reasons. When Nike prematurely terminated its sponsorship contract between him and the Brazilian at the end of August 2020, after 13 years of collaboration, no reason had been given.

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Another charge in 2019

In the press release sent to AFP, Nike explains that it has “Was deeply disturbed by the allegations of sexual assault made in 2018 by one of its employees against Neymar Jr”, without specifying their nature.

Based on testimonies and documents, the Wall Street Journal reports that this employee told friends and colleagues that Neymar tried to force her to perform oral sex in 2016, while she was in her hotel room in New York, where she worked at the coordination and logistics of a promotional event.

The equipment maker said in its statement that it was ready to investigate in 2018 when its employee first made these allegations, but that he “Respected the employee’s initial desire to keep this matter confidential and to avoid the opening of an investigation”. Nike therefore did not share information with the courts or any other third party until 2019, when the group hired lawyers to conduct an investigation, when the employee wished to continue this case.

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That year, Neymar was accused of rape in Paris by a Brazilian model. This accusation, which he vehemently rejected and which was eventually dropped in Brazil, had greatly damaged his image. This did not prevent him, almost immediately after the termination of his contract with Nike, from engaging with Puma to become the new head of the gondola.

The World with AFP