Neymar accused of rape, claims innocence

PAULO/RIO DE JANEIRO, June 2 

Brazil soccer star Neymar has denied an accusation of rape, outlined in a police report seen by Reuters, in which an unnamed woman alleges that the sports star drunkenly assaulted her at an up-market hotel in Paris. The accusation represents a fresh blow for the Brazilian, who has seen his international reputation suffer amid incidents of indiscipline.

Neymar posted a long video on his Instagram page, in which he denied all the accusations against him, claimed to be a victim of extortion, and shared WhatsApp messages with the alleged victim, including racy photos she sent him. “I’m being accused of rape,” he says in the video. “Whoever knows me, knows of my character and my nature, and knows that I would never do a thing like that.”

His representatives directed Reuters to their official statement, accusing a Sao Paulo lawyer purportedly representing the victim of trying to extort the soccer star. — Reuters