Soccer Superstar Neymar Dropped From Nike For Refusing To Cooperate In Sexual Assault Probe

Soccer Superstar Neymar Dropped From Nike For Refusing To Cooperate In Sexual Assault Probe

Last year, Nike parted ways with Paris Saint-Germain soccer player Neymar–and now their reasons for doing so are being made public.

The sportswear corporation has revealed that its decision to end its sponsorship contract with Neymar (real name Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior) last August was due to his refusal to cooperate in a sexual assault investigation.

A Nike employee brought allegations against the soccer player in 2018 over an incident that occurred two years beforehand. Shortly thereafter, Nike conducted an independent investigation.

However, the investigation was “inconclusive,” and Nike representatives recently told CNN Business:

“It would be inappropriate for Nike to make an accusatory statement without being able to provide supporting facts.”

Despite this, Nike still dropped Neymar because he was uncooperative with their investigation. Nike representatives claim the Paris Saint-Germain player:

“[R]efused to cooperate in a good faith investigation of credible allegations of wrongdoing by an employee.”

In response to Nike‘s claims, Neymar‘s attorney stated:

“Neymar Jr. will vigorously defend himself against these baseless attacks in case any allegations be made, which has not happened so far. It is quite strange that a case that supposedly happened in 2016, with allegations made by a Nike employee, appears only at this moment.”

Neymar has not issued a public comment on the matter. Additionally, it’s worth noting that a Brazilian woman accused him of rape back in 2019, though he denies these claims as well.

What do you think about Nike dropping Neymar due to him not cooperating in a sexual assault investigation? Comment down below to let us know!