Jack Grealish reacts to social media posts supporting Benjamin Mendy after ex-France player is cleared of rape

Football players have been reacting to the news that former France and Manchester City left-back Benjamin Mendy has been found not guilty of rape and attempted rape at his home in Cheshire.

The 28-year-old had been accused of carrying out sex attacks on two women at his £4 million mansion. The French international has been found not guilty of attempting to rape a 29-year-old woman who stayed overnight at his property in October 2018 and not guilty of raping a different woman, who was reportedly aged 24, in a Covid-era party at the same address in October 2020.

The news comes after he was cleared of six rapes at an earlier trial in January. Mendy denied the two charges and claimed both sexual encounters were consensual. The jury of six men and six women deliberated for three hours and 15 minutes before reaching their conclusion.

Following the verdict of the trial, footballers Paul Pogba and Memphis Depay offered support to the former France full-back. Pogba, who was Mendy’s teammate during France’s World Cup win in 2018, wrote in a post on Instagram: “Al Hamdulilah (praise be to God in Arabic).

‘So happy for you bro…all the people that was talking bad about you now I wanna see them cleaning your name. Can’t wait to see you on the pitch again.”

Holland and Atlético Madrid winger Depay also offered support to Mendy, and said “we can’t accept this to happen to us as athletes,” in a post on Twitter and Facebook.

He wrote: “All cases dismissed. So what are we doing now? Who is going to help this brother heal? Who’s going to be Responsable for the damage on he’s name? How he’s going to have he’s career back? Many years of investment to become a professional football player…. Now what!? I’ve never touched on this subject because I didn’t know all the details, but I’ve spoken to him once true FaceTime while behind bars and faced him on the pitch a couple times.. I didn’t see any evil in the man. We can’t accept this to happen to us as athletes.”

Manchester City midfielder Jack Grealish then replied to Depay’s post on Instagram, writing “So true Brother,” along with a heart and clapping emojis. A number of other footballers also showed support for Depay’s comments, including ex-player and pundit Rio Ferdinand, who commented: “Loud and clear,” along with a clapping emoji.