Hope Solo says ex-FIFA president Sepp Blatter sexually assaulted her

In an interview with Portuguese newspaper Expresso, former USA goalkeeper Hope Solo said former FIFA president Sepp Blatter sexually assaulted her.

>> Read an excerpt from the interview with Expresso here.

Solo said Blatter grabbed her before she took the stage at an awards show.

“I had Sepp Blatter grab my ass. Can I talk about that? It was at the Ballon D’or one year, right before I went on stage,” Solo said in the Expresso interview. “It’s been normalized.”

Contacted by Expresso and The Guardian, Blatter, via a spokesman, called Solo's allegation "ridiculous."

The accusation comes after more than 75 women publicly accused movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of inappropriate sexual behavior, ranging from requests for massages to intimidating sexual advances to rape.

Weinstein denies having nonconsensual sexual contact with anyone.

Five women have also come forward alleging comedian Louis C.K. engaged in sexual misconduct with them; on Friday, Louis C.K. released a statement saying the allegations were true.

““These stories are true,” Louis C.K. wrote. “At the time, I said to myself that what I did was okay because I never showed a woman my (expletive) without asking first, which is also true. But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your (expletive) isn’t a question. It’s a predicament for them. The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly.”

>> Read C.K.’s full statement at this link.

Several male actors and "House of Cards" employees earlier this month accused Kevin Spacey of predatory sexual conduct, harassment and assault on set.

Netflix suspended production of the show amid the allegations.

Information from The Associated Press has been included above.

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