Mason Greenwood: How & why Man Utd decided the player should leave

Manchester United's CEO Richard Arnold described the internal investigation into Mason Greenwood as ‘not an ordinary situation’ and concluded that while he does not feel the 21-year-old committed the alleged offences, the player could no longer remain ‘in the harsh spotlight of Manchester United’.

The club announced on Monday that Greenwood will continue his career 'away from Old Trafford', following the conclusion of a six-month investigation into the allegations made against him in January 2022. Greenwood was arrested that month and later charged with controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault, but those allegations were dropped in February this year.

Yet United’s subsequent investigation was far from straightforward, as Arnold acknowledged via an open letter to fans. “This was an internal disciplinary investigation between employer and employee which would ordinarily take place outside of the public eye,” he wrote. “Given the public nature of the allegations and Mason's profile, I acknowledge that this was not an ordinary situation, but I felt it important that we still follow due process and, so far as possible, avoid media comment until I had made a definitive decision."

Certain pieces of information cannot be made public knowledge for legal reasons, nor can the identity of the alleged victim and Arnold added that ‘until February this year, this was a matter for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service’. 

A panel of senior United executives began investigating the matter internally in February, with Greenwood’s assistance and the help of the alleged victim’s mother. Much of the inquiry centred around the audio released by the alleged victim on social media in January 2022, in which a man’s voice is heard saying that he ‘didn’t give a f**k’ whether the alleged victim wanted to have sex, while the male was then heard complaining that he was given no choice as his wish had not been previously granted after ‘asking politely’.

United concluded from their investigation that the social media posts came after Greenwood had ended the relationship, and that they were certain Greenwood did not physically abuse the alleged victim, nor was she subject to coercive behaviour from Greenwood. 

“The evidence we did collate led us to conclude that Mason did not commit the acts he was charged with,” Arnold wrote, while adding: “We were provided with alternative explanations for the audio recording, which was a short excerpt from a much longer recording, and for the images posted online.”

The alleged victim requested the police to drop their investigation in April 2022, and her family were given the opportunity to review and amend United’s findings. As for the Crown Prosecution Service, they investigated the allegations for a year alongside the police, with the charges dropped following the withdrawal of key witnesses and new evidence coming to light, which meant there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction. United maintain that the audio was only a small part of the evidence considered by the CPS.

Given that Greenwood was cleared of these offences, in the eyes of United, there was a duty of care as an employer, and a need to help restart his career, despite Greenwood admitting he ‘made mistakes in his relationship’ which led to the social media post.

“While I am satisfied that Mason did not commit the acts he was charged with, Mason’s accepted that he has made mistakes which he takes responsibility for,” Arnold acknowledged in his open letter. “I am also mindful of the challenge that Mason would face rebuilding his career and raising a baby together with his partner in the harsh spotlight of Manchester United.

“Although we have decided that Mason will seek to rebuild his career away from Manchester United, that does not signal the end of this matter,” he continued. "The club will continue to offer its support both to the alleged victim and Mason to help them rebuild and move forward positively with their lives.”

United maintain there was no grounds to terminate the player’s contract but would have done so had the internal investigation concluded that Greenwood had committed the offences. The club also state that the welfare of the alleged victim was key throughout, while several possibilities were considered for Greenwood, including reintegration into the first-team set-up.

The Athletic reported last week that was the course of action United had planned for, which provoked a strong backlash from supporter groups, prominent fans and MPs, among others. The Sun ran a report over the weekend which claimed the negative reaction had forced United to alter their plans, something the club deny.

Regardless, United now plan to help Greenwood continue his career away from Old Trafford, while providing support to the player, his partner and newborn baby. The club have also vowed to reinforce education and welfare for players, to ensure they have healthier relationships and behaviours.