LOS ANGELES: Nike said Thursday it parted ways with Neymar last year after the superstar Brazil attacker "refused to cooperate in a good faith" as the company investigated an employee's claim that he sexually assaulted her.

The apparel giant said in a statement that its investigation into the alleged 2016 incident -- which was reported to the company in 2018 -- was inconclusive.

But even so "Nike ended its relationship with the athlete because he refused to cooperate in a good faith investigation of credible allegations of wrongdoing by an employee."