The woman who has accused Conor McGregor of rape after Game 4 of the NBA Finals was allegedly offered $100,000 in hush money — an offer that was apparently rescinded after news of the alleged sex assault broke, The Daily Mail reported Wednesday.
When speaking to the outlet, lawyer Ariel Mitchell — who is representing McGregor’s accuser — said Heat and NBA officials were hastily trying to keep the apparent incident under wraps as McGregor is accused of “violently” sexually assaulting a woman in a bathroom at Katseya Center in Miami following Game 4, the NY Post reports.
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A source alleged to the Daily Mail that the NBA offered $100,000 for the individual to “keep it quiet,” which the league has vehemently denied.
“This claim is categorically false,” Mike Bass, the NBA’s chief communications officer, said in a statement.
McGregor, who has denied the sexual assault allegations to TMZ, was part of the in-game festivities during Game 4 of the Finals, in which he punched the Heat’s mascot.
In demand letters sent to the NBA, the Heat, and McGregor — and obtained by The Post — the woman alleges she was forced into a bathroom within the arena by security from both the team and the league.
“Some of the security guards who stood by when this happened were not McGregor’s. They were hired by the Heat,” Mitchell said. “They decided to cater to a celebrity instead of protecting a young woman in trouble.”
Mitchell, who said the Heat and NBA could be liable in the wake of the incident, added the Miami police allegedly blew off her client when she tried to report the alleged assault.
She told the Daily Mail that a detective at the Miami precinct, where her client reported the alleged assault, allegedly talked her out of filing a proper report.
“He walked her out of the building in no time,” Mitchell said. “The detective told her to hire an lawyer before she files a police complaint. He told her: ‘If you file today, this will go viral.’”
“Of course, that convinced her to wait, and that’s not good for the investigation.”
When the alleged victim hired Mitchell, the lawyer said she took her client back to the police station four days after the apparent incident.
Mitchell said her client handed over her clothing from the evening from the night of the alleged assault, with the items described as having “McGregor’s DNA” on them.
The lawyer claims the “police didn’t even ask for it,” and she “had to tell them to put the clothes in evidence.”
Michael Vega, a Miami police officer who also serves as the department’s spokesperson, declined to provide details and the incident report as the investigation is ongoing.
“We did open the case when the victim first came in,” Vega told the Daily Mail. “As it happens in many investigations, she had to come back for additional information. I can’t imagine that any officer or detective in this department would turn away the victim of a sex crime.”
Police told TMZ on Thursday that they have been investigating the allegations since June 11, and a probe continues.
Mitchell previously told TMZ that her client was partying with McGregor at a club inside of the Heat’s arena.
After the news of the alleged assault broke, TMZ released two separate videos that appeared to show McGregor and his accuser before and after the alleged assault.
The first video appeared to show McGregor escorting his rape accuser into a bathroom at Kaseya Center, whereas a second video appears to show the woman talking with McGregor while holding drinks at a club table inside the arena before the MMA star leaves the section.
“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 said of the first video.
“When the victim attempted to urinate, Mr. McGregor, instead of giving her privacy to do so, pulled out his penis and shoved it down the throat of the victim,” the demand letter states in part. “The victim pushed Mr. McGregor off of her, and Mr. McGregor then spat on the victim and on his penis in a desperate attempt to get his flaccid penis hard.
“ … As the victim tried to exit the stall, Mr. McGregor aggressively grabbed her, pinned her up against the wall, and then ripped the elastic waistband of her pants while pulling them down. Mr. McGregor then attempted to insert his penis into the victim’s rectum. Fortunately, Mr. McGregor’s penis was too limp for complete penetration, and the victim continuously elbowed Mr. McGregor and finally escaped.”
Representatives for the former UFC champion said in a statement on Friday that the woman’s counsel applied pressure in the media after a demand for money was ignored.
Both the NBA and the Miami Heat released statements after news broke on Thursday.
“We are aware of the allegations and are conducting a full investigation,” the Heat said in a statement to The Post. “Pending the outcome of the investigation, we will withhold further comment.”
NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement to The Post that the league is “aware of the allegations and are working with the team to gather more information.”
The allegations against McGregor came a day after it was announced that he and his fiancée, Dee Devlin, are expecting their fourth child together.
The couple remained a united front on June 16, when McGregor shared photos of Devlin and their kids, including one shot of her giving him a foot massage.
This article originally appeared on the NY Post and was reproduced with permission.