Miguel Sano has been accused of assaulting a photographer in a shopping mall in 2015, but the Minnesota Twins third baseman says the allegations against him are completely baseless.
In a a statement obtained by TMZ Sports, Sano condemned sexual harassment of any kind and said he has never and would never assault a female.
“I unequivocally deny the allegation made against me today — it never happened,” he wrote. “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.”
Betsy Bissen shared a story on social media Thursday detailing how she was exposed to numerous unwanted advances from a Twins first base coach while photographing a few of the team’s games. Her allegations against Sano were even more disturbing.
Bissen said Sano tried to force her into a bathroom following an autograph signing in 2015 at a store she volunteered at. She said he repeatedly tried to kiss her and pull her into a public restroom while she resisted.
“No, he didn’t rape me, but he sure did assault me,” Bissen wrote. “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.”
Here’s the entire story:
This is not easy for me to share, but I feel I need to share it. This is my story. #metoo pic.twitter.com/PM6g6YuABf
— Betsy (@BitzyBetsy) December 28, 2017
One former Twins player who played with Sano tweeted on Thursday that he wishes Bissen had reached out to him when the incident took place.
The Twins released a statement saying they are aware of the allegations and take them “very seriously.”
#MNTwins statement on Miguel Sano: pic.twitter.com/ybQfQ4mcpm
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) December 28, 2017
