New York Yankees legend Mariano Rivera and his wife Clara broke their silence Thursday after they were named in a lawsuit and accused of covering up child sex abuse of a minor at their home and a summer camp associated with their church.

Joseph A. Ruta, their attorney, said in a statement that the first time they heard about the charges was in 2022 — four years after the alleged incident took place. The attorney for the alleged victim at the time requested a financial settlement.

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“Mariano and Clara Rivera do not condone child abuse of any kind, and allegations that they knew about or failed to act on reports of child abuse are completely false,” the statement read via the New York Post. “The very first time they heard about these allegations was nearly four years after the alleged incident, when a New York attorney sent a letter in 2022 requesting a financial settlement. This was followed by another letter in 2023, from another Florida law firm, again requesting a financial settlement.

“The lawsuit, which seeks monetary damages for the Riveras’ alleged failure to act regarding alleged incidents that were never reported to them, is full of inaccurate and misleading statements that we certainly won’t hold up in a court of law.”

In the lawsuit, a woman identified as “Jane Doe” said she was sexually abused by an older girl known as “MG” during a summer internship in 2018. MG was a minor at the time of the alleged incidents. The internship took place at the Ignite Life Center in Gainesville, Florida, which was affiliated with Rivera’s church.

The suit said the alleged victim’s mother informed Clara of the abuse and that Clara promised to investigate. However, they were supposed to cover it up.

Former New York Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera waves on Old Timer’s Day before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium in New York City on September 9, 2023. (Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports)

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“Instead of taking adequate steps to end the sexual abuse of Jane Doe, the Riveras each isolated and intimidated Jane Doe into remaining silent about her abuse by MG to avoid causing problems for Refuge of Hope and Ignite Life Summer Internship ,” the case. read.

The suit also alleged that MG abused the victim at the Rivera residence in Rye, New York, that summer during a barbecue.

“At all times relevant, [the Riveras] knew or should have known that MG was a child sexual abuse risk… before and during grilling time,” the suit read.

“To avoid the potential scandal of child sexual abuse in its programs and otherwise protect [themselves] above all else, Rivera’s… secured [Doe’s mother] to [Doe] was safe and not in danger at Ignite Life Center, despite actual or constructive knowledge that Doe remained vulnerable to further sexual assault by MG.”

Several months later, in January 2019, Rivera became the first and still only player to be unanimously elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Later that year, President Donald Trump, during his first term in office, awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Mariano Rivera waves to the crowd from the mound after breaking the career save record against the Minnesota Twins on Monday, September 19, 2011 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of Manhattan, New York. The Yankees defeated the Twins 6-4, and Rivera recorded his 602nd career save. (Rob Tringali/MLB via Getty Images)

Widely regarded as the greatest closer in baseball history, Rivera is the sport’s all-time saves leader with 652. His 2.21 ERA is also the lowest by any pitcher with at least 500 innings since the live-ball era began in 1920.