Seven sports figures that faced rape charges - Gatmash

Following the widespread accusations of sexual assault and harassment across several professions, here is a list of seven sports figures who have at one time or another been accused of sexual assault and/or rape.

Neymar

Neymar Jr

Neymar, a Brazilian soccer player, is charged with raping a lady on May 15, 2019, in her hotel room in Paris. In an Instagram post, Neymar refuted the charge.

Ched Evans

A former Sheffield United striker, Ched Evans, was charged with raping a 19-year-old drunk girl. Evans served a five-year prison sentence before being freed in 2014 and joining League One team Chesterfield. Subsequently, he was cleared of the rape charge, but the false accusations had already damaged his reputation.

Benjamin Mendy

Benjamin Mendy was once one of Manchester City’s headline purchases, but once information about his interactions with women came to light last year, both his reputation and career have suffered. The left-back is accused of raping four women on seven separate occasions and assaulting one other woman. After 134 days in detention, he was finally released on bail. He was suspended by the club.

Mason Greenwood

Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood came under fire for the rape and assault of his ex-girlfriend. Greenwood was outed when his ex-girlfriend posted stories on her Instagram, showing signs of abuse on her body, along with distressing audio of Greenwood coercing her.

A statement said: “Following a hearing yesterday (Thursday 23 June 2022), a 20-year-old man arrested on suspicion of rape, assault and making threats to kill on Sunday 30 January 2022 remains on bail.

“As the outcome of bail reviews does not impact the progression of investigations, Greater Manchester Police will not be providing any further updates in relation to this case until the suspect is charged or released facing no further action.”

At the peak of his career in 1991, renowned boxer Mike Tyson dealt with a rape charge. Tyson was found guilty of raping Miss Black Rhode Island Desiree Washington, who was 18 at the time, and was sentenced to six years in prison and four years of probation. He was released in 1995 after serving three years.

He continued boxing and went on to make appearances in movies like The Hangover.

Robinho

Robinho, a former striker for Real Madrid and AC Milan, was found guilty of sexual assault in 2013 and given a nine-year prison term by a Milan court.

Hakimi

Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi, one of the stars of Morocco’s historic charge to the semi-finals of the World Cup last year, was charged with rape on Friday.

Hakimi, 24, was charged after being questioned by prosecutors on Thursday about accusations made by a 24-year-old woman who cannot be identified.