Cristiano Ronaldo News: Amid Rape Investigation, Juve Star Draws Concerns From Sponsors, Scores Against Udinese

Juventus and Portugal soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo on Wednesday denied accusations he raped an American model in June 2009 at a Las Vegas hotel. The city's police department on Monday announced it had reopened an investigation against him.

A Twitter post in English and Portuguese from the five-time world player of the year winner read: "I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in. Keen as I may be to clear my name, I refuse to feed the media spectacle created by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense."

Ronaldo, who has 75.1 million Twitter followers, received 217,000 "likes" and 53,000 retweets.

The accuser, Kathryn Mayorga, has given consent to allow her name to be made public, according to her legal team.

Mayorga on Sept. 27 filed a civil lawsuit against Ronaldo. She was reportedly paid $375,000 in 2010 to settle her claims and had signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Attorney Larissa Drohobyczer told reporters Wednesday that Mayorga's psychiatrist says Mayorga suffers from post-traumatic stress and depression, making her legally incompetent at the time to reach a non-disclosure agreement.

Ronaldo reportedly was with his brother-in-law and cousin on the night of the alleged rape.

The allegations threaten Ronaldo's public image. The 33-year-old has numerous endorsement deals, including a $1 billion deal with Nike, which said this week that it was "deeply concerned" about the allegations.

Ronaldo was also featured on the cover of EA Sports' FIFA video game, which was released last week.

"We have seen the concerning report that details allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo," read a statement to CNN Sport from EA Sports. "We are closely monitoring the situation, as we expect cover athletes and ambassadors to conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with EA's values."

On Saturday, Ronaldo " target="_blank">scored in the 37th minute to help lead Juventus over Udinese, 2-0, in a Serie A match. According to reports, he asked his teammates to give him space to celebrate his goal in front of cameras before calling them to join him.

Juventus, one of the top teams in Europe, on Thursday posted support for Ronaldo on Twitter.