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What to Know About Mariano Rivera's Life Since the Yankees amid Accusations He Covered Up Child Sex Abuse
MLB Hall of Famer and former Yankee Mariano Rivera and his wife Clara Rivera were accused of covering up a child sex abuse scandal to protect their church in a recent lawsuit. What to know about their lives since the pitcher retired from baseball.
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Clara Rivera and Mariano Rivera. Photo:
James Devaney/WireImage
MLB Hall of Fame pitcher Mariano Rivera and his wife Clara Rivera were accused of covering up child sex abuse in a lawsuit filed last week.
The retired New York Yankees star and his wife have not responded to the allegations in court or through media requests, as they face a lawsuit filed in the New York Supreme Court which claims they âeach separately isolated and intimidated [the alleged victim] to remain silent about her abuse by [the alleged abuser] to avoid causing troubleâ for their church.
PEOPLE has reached out to representatives for the Riveras and their church for comment, but have not heard back.
Since Riveraâs baseball career ended in 2013, the 55-year-old former pitcher has become heavily involved with religion, politics, and philanthropy â from becoming a pastor at the Refuge of Hope church (where his wife Clara is the churchâs head pastor) to campaigning in support of President Donald Trump.
In light of the recent allegations against him and his wife, hereâs what Riveraâs been up to since leaving baseball in 2013.
Mariano Rivera.AP Photo/Mark Lennihan
Riveraâs philanthropic efforts began in the midst of his baseball career, launching the Mariano Rivera Foundation in 1998. His eponymous foundation is âdedicated to providing children from impoverished families with life skills that will set them on the path to a brighter futureâ and donates money to children across the United States and in his native Panama through church organizations, primarily helping students prepare for college and getting a job afterwards.
Many of Riveraâs donations come through church-related organizations or events. A devout christian since he was 21 years old, Rivera turned to religion when he was 21 after he became âunhappy with the directionâ of his life, he told ESPN in 2011.
"I always believe that when the Lord puts his eyes on you, he will keep you from doing things. He will keep you from going the other way," Rivera told ESPN in 2013. âI'm perfect? No, I'm not even near close to perfect. But you know what, I love to do good for others. I love to please other people.â
A year later, the Associated Press reported that Rivera purchased a 107-year-old church in New Rochelle, New York, and put $3 million of renovations into it through his foundation. The church, which became the official home of the Riverasâ Refuge of Hope church, is at the center of the allegations made last week against Rivera and his wife Clara, who became the churchâs head pastor after it opened.
Mariano Rivera. Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty
Rivera earned baseballâs highest honor in 2019 when he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. The gameâs all-time leader in saves, Rivera became â and remains â the only player in baseball history to be inducted unanimously. Rivera won five World Series titles with the Yankees throughout his 19-year MLB career and was named to the All-Star Game a total of 13 times.Â
Rivera was also recognized by the White House in 2019 when Trump awarded him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom shortly after his hall of fame induction.
âMariano Rivera has made extraordinary contributions to American sports, culture and society," Trump said during the ceremony. "He is the most dominant relief pitcher in the history of baseball. And more than that, he has lived the American dream and shines as an example of American greatness for all to see."
Mariano Rivera and President Donald Trump.MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty
Rivera and Trumpâs friendship dates back to their time as two of the biggest celebrity names in New York City during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Despite backlash against Riveraâs stumping for Trump during the 2016 and 2020 elections, the retired pitcher has defended his support for the disgraced president.
"He was a friend of mine before he became president," Rivera said in 2019, according to Sports Illustrated, in response to a column which accused him of buddying up to a âracistâ president. "So, because he's president I will turn my back on him? No. I respect him. I respect what he does and I believe he's doing the best for the United States of America."
Trump returned favor for Riveraâs loyalty, awarding the retired pitcher the medal of freedom and naming him to several government posts â from serving on the Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission and being named a co-chair of the Presidentâs Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.
Rivera again endorsed Trump in 2024, once again saying his decision was simply because of their friendship.
"President Trump, he's my friend," Rivera told Fox News last April. "I can't deny that. I will tell that to anyone. Before he was the president, he was my friend. Because of that, I'm going to vote for him."
Clara Rivera and Mariano Rivera.AP Photo/Mark Lennihan
Prior to last weekâs allegations that he and his wife covered up a child sex abuse scandal at their church, Rivera flirted with another fall from grace in 2019 when he was named in a lawsuit alleging he had two children out of wedlock for whom he stopped paying child support.
Rivera denied the allegations, which ESPN reported were made by a woman in his home country of Panama who alleged he stopped paying child support in 2017 for two preteen children, aged 11 and 15 at the time of the lawsuit.Â
"He stopped paying for things for his children and put them in an economically critical situation," the womanâs attorney alleged at the time, according to ESPN. The two sides eventually settled.
Rivera has three children with his wife Clara: Mariano Rivera III, Jaziel Rivera and Jafet Rivera.
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Last weekâs lawsuit alleged Rivera and his wife both âseparatelyâ spoke with the child who was allegedly abused while on a summer camp trip through their Refuge of Hope church and again at a barbecue at the Riverasâ home in New York. The couple is accused of having âintimidatedâ the alleged victim âto remain silentâ about the allegations in order to protect their church and its summer program.
The complaint alleges that the Riveras âfalsely promoted their activities and premises as being safe, moral, and otherwise free of a risk of harm when it knew or should have known otherwise." The plaintiff is seeking a jury trial.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
