The lawyer for Houston Texans minority owner Enrique Javier Loya addressed the rape and sexual abuse allegations against his client on Tuesday.
Loya was charged with one count of first-degree rape, five counts of first-degree sexual abuse and one count of third-degree sexual abuse, according to court records in Kentucky, obtained by Fox News Digital.
Attorney Andrew J. Sarne said Loya denied the allegations and looked “forward to clearing his name.”
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“Enrique Javier Loya absolutely denies the criminal claims against him. The allegations were made in May 2022. It took the Commonwealth more than a year to indict,” Sarne’s statement read.
“Mr. Loya made the highly unusual offer to sit down with law enforcement and answer any and all questions. That offer was rejected, and Mr. Loya was indicted with no notice whatsoever. He was not ever informed that any Grand Jury was considering his case.
“Finally, there seem to be possible racial overtones to the allegations, with at least one complaint of an assault by a group of Mexicans. Mr. Loya will continue to work through the legal process and looks forward to clearing his name.”
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Loya is set for a pretrial conference on Aug. 22.
The Texans told Pro Football Talk they were aware of the allegations.
“We are aware of the serious charges filed in the Commonwealth of Kentucky against Javier Loya, one of our outside limited partners,” the franchise said. “We have agreed with Mr. Loya that while these charges are pending, he will remove himself entirely from any team or League activities.”
The NFL released a statement to USA Today.
“The club promptly notified the league of the serious pending charges against Mr. Loya after they were filed,” the league said. “Mr. Loya has not been permitted to participate in any league or club activity during this process. He is no longer on any league committees.”
Loya had been a limited partner since the Texans entered the league in 2002. He was recognized at the time as being the first Hispanic owner in the NFL.
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