New York Yankees legend Mariano Rivera and his wife Clara broke their silence on Thursday after they were named in a lawsuit and accused of covering up child sex abuse of a minor in their home and a summer camp connected with their church.
Joseph A. Ruta, their attorney, said in a statement that the first time they heard about the allegations was in 2022 – four years after the alleged incident took place. The attorney for the alleged victim at the time requested a financial settlement.
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Mariano Rivera and his wife faced startling allegations. (IMAGN)
“Mariano and Clara Rivera do not tolerate child abuse of any kind and allegations that they knew about or failed to act on reports of child abuse are completely false,” the statement read, via the New York Post. “The very first time they heard about these allegations was nearly four years after the alleged incident, when in 2022 a New York attorney sent a letter requesting a financial settlement. This was followed by a second letter in 2023, from a different Florida law firm, again requesting a financial settlement.
“The lawsuit, which seeks financial damages for the Riveras’ alleged failure to act on alleged incidents that were never reported to them, is full of inaccurate and misleading statements which we have no doubt will not hold up in a court of law.”
In the lawsuit, a woman identified as “Jane Doe” said she was sexually abused by an older girl known as “MG” during a summer internship in 2018. MG was a minor at the time of the alleged incidents. The internship took place at the Ignite Life Center in Gainesville, Florida, which was affiliated with Rivera’s church.
The suit said that the alleged victim’s mother informed Clara of the abuse and that Clara promised to investigate the matter. However, they allegedly covered it up.
Former New York Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera waves on Old Timer’s Day before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium in New York City on Sept. 9, 2023. (Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports)
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“Rather than take sufficient action to end the sexual abuse of Jane Doe, the Riveras each separately isolated and intimidated 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 read.
The suit also alleged that MG abused the victim at the Rivera residence in Rye, New York, that summer during a barbecue.
“At all times relevant, [the Riveras] knew or should have known that MG was a risk to sexually abuse children… before and during the time of the barbecue,” the suit read.
“In order to avoid the potential scandal of child sexual 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.”
Several months later, in January 2019, Rivera became the first and still only player to be unanimously elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Later that year, President Donald Trump, during his first presidency, awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Mariano Rivera waves to the crowd from the mound after breaking the career saves record in the game against the Minnesota Twins on Monday, Sept. 19, 2011 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of Manhattan, New York. The Yankees defeated the Twins 6-4 and Rivera recorded his 602nd career save. (Rob Tringali/MLB via Getty Images)
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Rivera, widely known as the greatest closer in the history of baseball, is the sport’s all-time saves leader with 652. His 2.21 ERA is also the lowest by any pitcher with at least 500 innings since the live-ball era began in 1920.
Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
