Last year, Nike ended their sponsorship of PSG forward Neymar Jr, and the sporting giants have now revealed the reason behind that. According to them, Neymar tried to force one of their employees to perform oral sex in a New York hotel.
Nike also released a detailed statement regarding the issue that lists out the events from the employee’s perspective. The player denies any wrongdoing, and his spokesperson has come out and further reinforced that stance.
‘Nike was deeply disturbed by sexual assault allegations made by one of our own employees against Neymar Jr.
‘The alleged incident occurred in 2016 and was officially reported to Nike in 2018. The employee came forward to share her experience in a forum created by Nike leadership to afford a safe environment in which current and former employees could confidentially share their experiences and concerns.
‘From the very beginning, we have treated the employee’s allegations and her experience with great seriousness.’When the employee first relayed her allegations to Nike’s leadership in 2018, she did so only with assurances of confidentiality.
‘While Nike was prepared and ready to investigate at that time, Nike respected the employee’s initial desire to keep this matter confidential and avoid an investigation.
‘In 2019, when the employee later expressed interest in pursuing the matter, we acted immediately. Nike commissioned an independent investigation and retained separate independent legal counsel for the employee of her choosing and at the company’s expense.
‘The investigation was inconclusive. No single set of facts emerged that would enable us to speak substantively on the matter.
‘It would be inappropriate for Nike to make an accusatory statement without being able to provide supporting facts.
‘Nike ended its relationship with the athlete because he refused to cooperate in a good faith investigation of credible allegations of wrongdoing by an employee.
Neymar has since been endorsed by Puma in a deal worth £23 million and recently signed an extension at PSG until 2025.
