The Machester United’s forward player Mason Greenwood’s attempted rape and alleged assault charges were dropped. Still, he will not return to Manchester United training until their procedures are finished.
Manchester United suspended Greenwood in January 2022, the month the initial accusations were made public. He was subsequently charged with attempted rape, assault and repeatedly using aggressive behavior.
He was scheduled to go on trial in November, but Greater Manchester Police announced that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had dropped all charges.
The CPS acknowledged that there was no longer a realistic possibility of conviction due to the withdrawal of key witnesses and additional material that came to light.
They added that due to these circumstances, they are obliged to stop the case. They have informed all the parties of their choice.
The CPS said any prospective victims are always encouraged to come forward and contact the police. If they have any such complaint they will file charges whenever their legal requirements are met.
United has since issued a statement explaining that it would now carry out its procedure before determining its next course of action.
According to Manchester Evening News, Greenwood won’t be on the field or train with the team until their legal procedures are over. He is still bound to Old Trafford until the summer of 2025 and is reportedly still being paid his weekly salary.
Even if Greenwood has not been found guilty, canceling the contract would cost Manchester United money but might be the morally right thing to do in their view.
The possibility of protests against Greenwood playing, particularly those from Manchester United’s supporters, and whether or not the club’s sponsors will allow him to wear their logo should be significant deciding factors.
The club places a lot of importance on its commercial collaborations because Manchester United is one of the most valuable brands in all of soccer.
Many of those collaborations and sponsorships contain very severe anti-embarrassment clauses, which would effectively allow a sponsor to withdraw if they felt the club hadn’t handled the particular incident right and wisely.
Therefore, they will keep that in mind as they examine the Mason Greenwood situation and decide whether they need to take more decisive action to ensure that their sponsors continue to support the team.
Manchester United must have to manage this difficult scenario at a time when the club’s future is uncertain because its owners are looking for investors, which could result in a sale.
The owners of the club will obviously avoid doing anything that would reduce the value that they are able to obtain on the market. In the upcoming days and weeks, they will need to strike an extremely careful balance about this particular situation.
There is no specific deadline for the internal process that will decide whether Mason Greenwood, one of Manchester United’s top talents, ever plays for the club again.
Greenwood has merely expressed his relief that the situation is resolved, giving no hint that he intends to continue playing soccer.
On January 22 of last year, Greenwood made his final appearance in a 1-0 victory over West Ham at Old Trafford. After graduating from the renowned club academy, the 21-year-old soccer player made 129 appearances for the senior team, with that one being the most recent.
Mason Greenwood’s profile is still accessible on United’s website, even though a statement from April 2022 provided clarification on the matter. The club removed his profile from their app shortly after he was suspended from the squad in January.
A number of his teammates reportedly unfollowed him on social media, and Manchester United stopped selling any apparel with his name and face on it.
Nike and other of its sponsors likewise ended their contracts with England International. He was also dropped from the Football Manager series and the FIFA video game.
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Through a series of posts on social media, a woman made a rape allegation against Greenwood. She shared images, videos, and audio of her telling him that she doesn’t want to have sex and he replies that he doesn’t care what she wants.
Greenwood was then suspended by Manchester United and detained by Greater Manchester Police on the accusation of rape and assault against the woman on January 30 last year. Greenwood was taken into custody once more on February 1, 2022, on allegations of sexual assault and threats to kill.
Greenwood was granted bail on February 2, 2022, and released awaiting additional inquiry. His bail was increased from April 2022 to mid-June. He was arrested on October 15, 2022, for allegedly violating the terms of his bail by getting in touch with his accuser.
He was charged with attempted rape for an alleged incident on October 22, 2021, assault causing actual bodily harm for an alleged incident on December 20, 2021, and engaging in aggressive and controlling behavior in November 2018.
He was initially remanded to custody on October 17 until November 21 last year.
But on October 19, following a closed-door hearing at Minshull Street Crown Court, he was released on bail with the requirement that he stays at a Bowdan address and refrain from contacting any witnesses, including the victims.
He was dropped from the charges following the withdrawal of key witnesses on February 2, 2023.
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