|
The photographer, Betsy Bissen, wrote about the
incident on her Twitter account on Thursday and said it happened
after Sano participated in an autograph session at a local
shopping mall.
"We are aware of the allegations and are now in the process of
looking into it," MLB spokesman Mike Teevan said in a statement.
Bissen, who worked for Twins Daily at the time, said Sano
repeatedly tried to kiss her and attempted to force her into a
bathroom.
"I pulled back as he held onto my wrist," Bissen wrote about the
Sano. "It hurt, how badly he was grasping at my wrist, but he
wouldn't let go. I wasn't going to give up my fight though. He
then leaned down and tried to kiss me, more than once. Every
time he did, I said no and kept pulling back.
"I was in a squatted position with my wrist throbbing. I
screamed, no one came to help me. He finally gave up after a
solid ten mins of fighting to pull me thru that door. No, he
didn't rape me, but he sure did assault me. When I said no, it
should have been the end of it. He should have respected that
and stopped. Instead, he hurt me and kept going."
Sano denied the allegations on Thursday.
"I unequivocally deny the allegation made against me today -- it
never happened," Sano said in the statement. "I have the utmost
respect for women, especially those working in professional
sports, and I deeply sympathize with anyone who has experienced
sexual harassment. There is no place for it in our society."
The Twins weren't informed of the incident at the time,
according to Bissen. The club said it learned of the situation
on Thursday.
"Today the Minnesota Twins were made aware of allegations
involving Miguel Sano at an offsite appearance during the 2015
season," the team said in a statement. "The Twins, along with
Major League Baseball, take these allegations very seriously.
Until more information is gathered, the Twins will have no
further comments."
Bissen said she told people about the incident when it occurred,
including her family, but wasn't ready to publicly reveal her
story until Thursday.
Sano, 24, set career highs last season with 28 homers and 77
RBIs while making his first All-Star team.
Bissen said the incident changed her opinion of Sano.
"Every time I have to hear how great people think Miguel Sano
is, I'm reminded of how awful he actually is and how he hurt
me," Bissen wrote.
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
