American baseball legend, Mariano Rivera and his wife Clara have been accused of covering up the s£xu@l abuse of an underage girl that occurred both at their home and a church.
According to a new lawsuit, the unidentified girl was abused by an older girl in 2018 at a Florida camp affiliated with the church founded by the Riveras in New Rochelle, New York.
The abuse also allegedly happened at the Riveras home, then by a church leader in 2021 and 2022.
Rivera and his wife aren't named in the lawsuit as defendants, but it does accuse them of knowing about the alleged abuse at the camp.
The suit also claims that the Riveras intimidated the girl into staying silent.
The suit says that the victim's mother informed Clara of the abuse and that Clara promised to investigate the matter. But they allegedly covered it up.
"Rather than take sufficient action to end the sexual abuse of Jane Doe, the Riveras each separately isolated and intimidated Jane Doe to remain silent about her abuse by MG to avoid causing trouble for Refuge of Hope and the Ignite Life Summer Internship," the suit reads.
The suit also alleges that MG abused the victim at the Rivera residence that summer during a barbecue.
"At all times relevant, [the Riveras] knew or should have known that MG was a risk to sexually abuse children… before and during the time of the barbecue," the suit reads.
"In order to avoid the potential scandal of child s£xual abuse in its programs and otherwise protect [themselves] above all else, the Riveras… assured [Doe's mother] that [Doe] was safe and in no danger at Ignite Life Center, despite actual or constructive knowledge that Doe remained vulnerable to additional acts of sexual abuse by MG."
Rivera, widely known as the greatest closer in the history of baseball, is the sport's all-time saves leader with 652. His 2.21 ERA is also the lowest by any pitcher with at least 500 innings since the live-ball era began in 1920.
In January 2019, Rivera became the first, and still only, player to be unanimously elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Later that year, President Donald Trump, during his first presidency, awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.