MIAMI — A woman has accused Conor McGregor of sexual assault at Game 4 of the NBA Finals, between the Denver Nuggets vs. the Miami Heat, held at the Kaseya Center downtown last Friday, TMZ first reported.
The media outlet says it obtained demand letters from local attorney Ariel Mitchell that were sent to the UFC star, as well as to the NBA and the Heat.
McGregor, one of the highest paid athletes in the world, made headlines that night after he apparently went too far with a promotional skit for a pain relief product, Tidl Sport. In what was supposed to be a joke, the mixed martial artist apparently punched “Burnie,” the Heat mascot (twice) but too hard. The man in the furry costume, who has not been publicly identified, had to be examined briefly at a hospital.
As for the newest potential bombshell, Mitchell’s demand letters say that the alleged victim was “violently” raped inside of a men’s bathroom, where she was led by arena security, “trapping” her after the game had ended.
“Security refused to let (the woman) exit or allow anyone else, including her friend, inside the bathroom,” Mitchell wrote.
The attorney went on to claim that McGregor “shoved his tongue in the alleged victim’s mouth and aggressively kissed her,” forced the woman to perform oral sex on him and attempted sodomy.
The letters go on to say the woman managed to wriggle free by elbowing the Irishman repeatedly, fled and notified authorities, but does not wish to press charges. Mitchell is reportedly seeking financial settlements with the NBA, Heat and McGregor, who denied any wrongdoing.
“The allegations are false. Mr. McGregor will not be intimidated,” McGregor’s attorney, Barbara R. Llanes, said in a statement released through McGregor’s PR firm to USA TODAY Sports.
The UFC said it knew of the incident, but was gathering “additional details” before weighing in.
The Heat also issued a similar statement: “We are aware of the allegations and are conducting a full investigation. Pending the outcome of the investigation, we will withhold further comment.”
McGregor, who is expecting baby No. 4 with fiancee Dee Devlin, has been accused of sexual assault a number of times overseas, but has not faced any punishment.
Locally, the star fighter nicknamed Notorious was arrested back in March 2019 in Miami Beach. He was charged with strong-arm robbery and criminal mischief after he took a selfie-seeking fan’s $1,000 cellphone outside the Fontainebleau hotel, smashed it, then took it. The scuffle was caught on surveillance video; that case resulted in reduced charges, and a civil suit was ultimately dropped.
