Legendary New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera and his wife, Clara, have been accused of ignoring the sexual abuse of a minor in their home and at a church, according to multiple reports.
The accusations were made in a lawsuit filed by a “Jane Doe,” who claims she was abused by an older girl, identified as “MG,” during a summer internship in 2018 at the Ignite Life Center in Gainesville, Florida. FOX reported that Ignite Life is “affiliated with Rivera’s church.”
FOX said the lawsuit claims the girl reported the abuse to Clara, who promised to investigate. Instead, she claims, it was covered up.
“Rather than take the sufficient actions to end the sexual abuse of Jane Doe, the Riveras each separately isolated and intimated Jane Doe to remain silent about her abuse by MG to avoid causing trouble for Refuge of Hope and the Ignite Life Summer Internship,” the suit claims, per FOX.
“Jane Doe” also claims in the suit that “MG” abused her that summer during a barbecue at the Rivera home, and FOX said the suit states the Riveras should have know that “MG” “was a risk to sexually abuse children.”
“In order to avoid the potential scandal of child abuse in its programs and otherwise protect (themselves) above all else, the Riveras … assured (Doe’s mother) that (Doe) was safe and in no danger at Ignite Life Center, despite actual or constructive knowledge that Doe remained vulnerable to additional acts of sexual abuse by MG,” the suit reads according to Fox.
FOX noted that several months after the incidents are claimed to have taken place, Rivera became the first and only player to be unanimously elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Rivera, who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Donald Trump, is Major League Baseball’s all-times saves leader with 652. He made his major league debut with the Yankees in 1995 and played his entire career with the team before retiring following the 2013 season.
He was a 13-time All-Star and a five-time World Series champion. He was the MVP of the 1999 World Series.
