Nike drops Man Utd star after rape allegations
Manchester United's Mason Greenwood has been ditched by his athletic apparel sponsor Nike after the 20-year-old homegrown player was arrested on suspicion of rape, sexual assault and threats to kill.
Last week a number of allegations against Greenwood appeared on social media which detailed a supposed litany of abuse against a female partner, with some photographs showing the woman bleeding from the mouth as well as others which appeared to show heavy bruising on her body.
An audio clip was also released online which detailed a back-and-forth exchange between the woman and a man referred to as 'Mason'.
The player was subsequently arrested and held in police custody for several days before being released on bail last Wednesday.
Manchester United have stopped short of formally suspending Greenwood but announced in a statement that he would no longer play for, or train with, the team for an indefinite period.
His sponsor Nike announced in the hours after the allegations emerged that they were reviewing their partnership with Greenwood but confirmed on Monday that he has now been formally dropped by the athletic brand.
"Mason Greenwood is no longer a Nike athlete," the company announced via a statement to The Athletic.
Nike counts the likes of Greenwood's Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, NBA star LeBron James and Australian Open winner Rafael Nadal among its list of sponsored athletes.
Greenwood's image has also been removed from several popular football video games, with FIFA, PES and eFootball stating that he would not be included in further updates.
Manchester United have largely refused to comment other than to confirm that Greenwood will not be participating in team affairs moving forward, and that they denounce all forms of violence.
Greenwood, meanwhile, has not yet commented on the allegations or his arrest.
