Conor McGregor is facing accusations of sexual assault after a woman claimed he assaulted her in the bathroom of Miami’s Kaseya Center. According to the claimants’ lawyers, McGregor was assisted by the stadium’s security guards and assaulted their client in the bathroom. The claims created a media circus, with many quick to lay blame at McGregor’s feet. However, after the video of the incident was released, McGregor’s lawyers fired back, saying they are totally confident in their client, and welcomed the investigation to prove his innocence.
NEW YORK POST: Conor McGregor NBA Finals sexual assault allegations ‘a shakedown’: lawyer
By Andrew Crane; June 16, 2023
Conor McGregor’s lawyer responded to the NBA Finals sexual assault allegation against the UFC star by calling it “no more than a shakedown.”
“After the video was released by TMZ, the claimant’s lawyer now has changed her story,” Attorney Barbara R. Llanes wrote in the statement to the Irish Times. “Mr. McGregor welcomes the investigation, which he firmly believes will show the claims against him are false. After not responding to the demand for money made by the claimant’s counsel, she turned to the media to apply pressure.”
Demand letters sent by the victim’s attorney, Ariel Mitchell, and obtained by The Post accused McGregor of allegedly attempting to rape her following Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Heat and Nuggets at Miami’s Kaseya Center.
The woman, who was separated from her friend by security, alleged that she was forced into the bathroom and that McGregor emerged from a bathroom stall, forcibly kissed the victim and attempted to rape her.
Security guards didn’t allow others inside the bathroom and prevented the victim from leaving, according to the letters.
TMZ published videos early Friday morning that appeared to show McGregor — in a dark shirt — guiding the victim into a bathroom amid a cluster of people outside, while another clip allegedly depicted a selfie video recorded by the victim and McGregor at a different point that night.
“My client was under the belief they were leaving and going to the Four Seasons Hotel, as Conor had previously asked her to join him at his hotel room,” Mitchell told TMZ in a statement. “The man with the braids then stopped at the door of the bathroom, when Conor grabbed my client (as seen in the video). My client believed they were leaving, but instead Conor took her into the restroom.”
Mitchell also told TMZ in a statement that “my client remembers having no less than six drinks that night and has admitted the parts she recalls. My client did not even recall who led her into the restroom until seeing this video.”
Spokesman Mike Bass told The Post Thursday in a statement that the NBA is “aware of the allegations and are working with the team to gather more information,” while the Heat also said in a statement that they were aware of the investigations.
The UFC, which hasn’t included a McGregor fight since 2021, wrote in a statement that it was aware of the allegations, gathering additional information and would let the “legal process to play out before making any additional statements.”
That same night at the Kaseya Center, McGregor was also involved in a controversial situation at halftime of the Heat’s Game 4 loss to the Nuggets when he punched the Heat’s mascot and sent the person to the hospital.
And in an interview on the “Live with Kelly and Mark” show, McGregor revealed that he and fiancée Dee Devlin are expecting their fourth child.
Photo: NBAE