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Christiano Ronaldo: Sponsors concerned about rape allegation made against soccer star

Posted at 7:46 AM, Oct 05, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-05 08:24:27-04

Cristiano Ronaldo and his club Juventus have started to experience blowback over the rape allegations surrounding the Portuguese star.

Two leading sponsors of the 33-year-old are "monitoring the situation," while shares in Juventus -- which have risen more than 100% in the last six months, owing largely to the record signing of Ronaldo in July -- fell more than five percent after it issued a statement of support for the player.

"We have seen the concerning report that details allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo," EA Sports said in a statement sent to CNN Sport.

"We are closely monitoring the situation, as we expect cover athletes and ambassadors to conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with EA's values."

It was also widely reported that Nike is "deeply concerned" by the allegations made against he Juventus star, who has a reported $1 billion endorsement deal with the US sportswear giant.

"We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and will continue to closely monitor the situation," said the Nike statement, which was first obtained by AP. Nike did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment.

Juventus' record signing has been accused of raping Kathryn Mayorga in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009. Las Vegas police this week re-opened the complaint made by Mayorga, who is said to be suffering "psychological" damage from the incident.

Ronaldo, one of the wealthiest and most famous sports stars in the world, released a statement Wednesday denying the charges, which allege that he raped Mayorga while she repeatedly screamed no, according to a lawsuit filed in Clark County, Nevada, last week.

READ: Rape allegations against Ronaldo 'not fake news,' says accuser's lawyer

READ: Ronaldo sued over alleged rape in Las Vegas hotel room

On Thursday, Juventus posted messages of support to "great champion" Ronaldo on Twitter.

The Italian club tweeted: "Ronaldo has shown in recent months his great professionalism and dedication, which is appreciated by everyone at Juventus. The events allegedly dating back to almost 10 years ago do not change this opinion, which is shared by anyone who has come into contact with this great champion."

The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star, regarded as one of the greatest to have played the game, has been left out of Portugal's squadfor upcoming friendlies against Poland on October 11 and Scotland three days later.

Portuguese Football Federation president Fernando Gomes has also given his "total solidarity" towards Ronaldo as "his good name and reputation are being questioned."

But Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has confirmed that the star will play for the reigning Serie A champions in Saturday's league match against Udinese.

Attorney Larissa Drohobyczer of Stovall & Associates, the law firm representing Mayorga, told reporters in Las Vegas Wednesday that her client shows signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a psychiatrist hired by Stovall.

Mayorga's lawsuit accuses Ronaldo and his team of taking advantage of Mayorga's fragile emotional state to coerce her into signing a settlement and nondisclosure agreement in 2009.

She claims she received $375,000 in exchange for her silence. Her lawsuit seeks to void the settlement and agreement.

"We believe we have the factual basis to ask the court to set aside the agreement so we can litigate ... for damages," Leslie Stovall, Mayorga's co-counsel, said at the news conference.

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