Mason Greenwood and 8 other footballers accused of rape and sexual violence recently

Manchester United and Nike abandon Mason Greenwood over the alleged case of rape despite his bail

Manchester United player, Mason Greenwood’s dilemma over sexual violence brings to mind other footballers who have gone down the same road. In recent times, famous footballers have been on the news for the worst of reasons. Most of them because of assault and murder, others for petty crimes such as traveling without a valid passport and things like that.

But in recent times, the case that has plagued the sports world is the rate of sexual violence accusation perpetrated by football stars. The case of Manchester United star, Mason Greenwood is just one of numerous other like cases over the past two or three years.

Mason Greenwood dilemma.

Following an allegation of rape, sexual violence and threat to kill, the talented Manchester United player, Mason Greenwood has been granted bail after being arrested on Sunday.

The Bradford born wonderkid was arrested on Sunday based on the suspicion of rape and assault after a woman, named Harriet Robson, reportedly took to social media to claim that she was sexually assaulted by Mason.

According to the Greater Manchester police (GMP), who earlier did not specifically name Greenwood, in a statement, said on Wednesday that “A 20-year-old man arrested (on Sunday 30 January 2022) on suspicion of rape and assault of a woman has been released on bail pending further investigation.”

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Although the 20-year-old remains under investigation, and nothing has not been tried yet, the Manchester United club has been quick to suspend him from either training or playing with the team until further notice as if his crime will infect other players like a virus.

In a statement on Monday, the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust (MUST) added that “The club has now confirmed that Mason Greenwood will not return to training or play matches until further notice. MUST fully support the decision of the club in this regard.”

Also, the “Manchester United reiterates its strong condemnation of violence of any kind. As previously communicated, Mason Greenwood will not train with, or play for, the club until further notice.” A United spokesperson said.

To add to his frustration, Nike, who has been the official sponsor of the talented kid has distanced itself from Mason. In a statement from the brand on Monday, Nike said they are closely monitoring the case for further action.

“We have suspended our relationship with Mason Greenwood. We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and will continue to closely monitor the situation.”

What is next for the star?

The question is what is next for Greenwood, having been abandoned by both his club and his sponsor. A crime such as this is considered a career suicide. Yet, there are still times when celebrities have been accused of a crime they did not commit despite overwhelming evidence during the time of accusation.

Although no one is condoning sexual violence in its forms, one would assume that the right thing to do in this situation would be to wait for a competent court of law to give a verdict of his guilt or innocence before abandoning him in his worst time of need.

However, a little digging in the world of rape and sexual violence accusations against footballers, it seemed that this is a tradition. Clubs and brands are quick to abandon any player immediately accusations are raised against that player. This is done immediately without wasting time.

Whether that is a sports rule or a club’s PR invention to distance itself from trouble before it is contaminated, we do not know yet. Although, no human being should be made to suffer the indignity of sexual intercourse without one’s consent, it is still soar to abandon a player in such a time as this when one needs the support of an employer the most.

Greenwood is not alone in this, there are other players who have been involved in this kind of mess and have been immediately abandoned by their club.

Below is a list of 8 footballers who have been accused of rape and sexual violence in recent times.

OTHER FOOTBALLERS ACCUSED OF RAPE

Cristiano Ronaldo

On the 12 of June, 2009, one of the greatest footballers in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo, was accused of rape. The Portuguese forward was accused of rape by Kathryn Mayorga, a former model. Ronald and Mayorga were said to have met at a nightclub called Rain in Las Vegas.

According to a report by National World, Ronald had invited the former model to his hotel room which is where Mayorga claims to have been assaulted.

However, Ronaldo’s lawyers argued that the sex between the two were consensual. The case was eventually settled out of court in 2010 when Ronaldo and Mayorga’s legal teams signed a non-disclosure agreement in which Ronaldo paid $375,000 to Mayorga.

This, according to Ronaldo’s legal, was to forestall further damage to the star’s reputation and career and not a statement or admission of guilt.

Chad Evans

Chad Evans was also accused of raping a 19-year-old drunk girl. He was sentenced to five years in prison but was later released in 2014. Although he tried to kick off his career but it never went anywhere after that.

In recent months, two other English players have also been accused of rape and sexual violence. Ryan Giggs and Benjamin Mendy.

Benjamin Mendy

In 2021, Benjamin Mendy was arrested over accusations of rape and sexual violence. The talented Manchester City player was arrested when sordid details of his sexual encounters with women surfaced. Mendy was charged with seven counts of rape of four women, along with one count of sexual assault. Although he was released on bail after spending only 134 days in jail, his career has suffered since as his club, the Manchester City has suspended him.

Adam Johnson

In 2016, former Manchester City midfielder, Adam Johnson, was arrested and found guilty of having sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl. He was sentenced to five years in prison. And just like Mason, Adam was stripped off his endorsement deal with Adidas and suspended from his club.

Ryan Giggs

Ryan Giggs, whose football successes had led him to become the national coach of Wales National team was recently accused of rape and physical violence on his ex-girlfriend and his sister. The embattled coach has since been sacked as Wales national team as he is said to be facing a life sentence.

Marlon King

The former Jamaican striker, Marlon King, was accused of sexual assault in 2008. The Wigan Athletic player was also charged with occasioning bodily harm of a 20-year-old girl. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and placed on a sex offenders list.

Guy Madjo

Guy Madjo is a Cameroonian striker who was reportedly involved in a rape in his home in Grayshott in 2014. He was found guilty and sentenced to 3 and a half year in prison and barred from entering England.

Abdoulaye Traore

in 2021, we remember the former Ivory Coast international player, Abdoulaye Traore, who was arrested for raping a 19-year-old woman on several occasions. He later released after interventions of several unknown persons from the African Union.

Alhaji Sesay

Traore is not the only African footballer who was arrested recently over sexual violence. In 2021, an England based footballer, Alhaji Sesay, was arrested in Bristol and convicted of count rape and two of attempted rape against different women after a trial at a Bristol crown court. He was sentenced to a ten-year jail term.

We can go on and on, but the question everybody keeps asking is, what is it with footballers and sexual violence. Within recent years, there has been no year that passed that a footballer is not accused of either rape or one form of sexual violence of another.

Yet, a much more disturbing question is, at what point in time does a player stop being useful to a club or brand sponsor before they wean him like an orphan and leave him flailing in the wind with flagrant disregard to the years of hard work and contribution to the club.