Key sponsors are expressing concern after a rape allegation against Cristiano Ronaldo became public. Earlier this week, police in Nevada reopened a criminal investigation over a complaint made by a local woman that Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room nine years ago. Two sponsors, Nike and Electronic Arts, issued statements of disquiet over the matter, but have maintained their commercial links. Reports suggest that Ronaldo is one of the few athletes to have a lifetime deal with Nike, alongside basketball players Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Ronaldo is the cover star of Electronic Art's FIFA Soccer, one of the world's bestselling video games. Ronaldo has many personal sponsorship deals, including watchmaker Tag Heuer and Cairo-based metals group Egyptian Steel. His personal brand "CR7", has a line of fragrances, footwear, luxury underwear and blankets. Sponsors often include morality clauses in their contracts, allowing them to end deals if a sportsperson's personal conduct proves damaging to the company. According to Forbes, Ronaldo's personal sponsorship deals were worth $47m in the last year. Ronaldo stands to lose a large portion of this amount if sponsors are to terminate their contracts pursuant to the morality clauses in light of the rape allegations.
This article was written with contributions from Tim Piscatelli.
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