Nine words. That was all it took to take my breath away.
Even after everything we had heard in court about how UFC star Conor McGregor defiled a young girl in a hotel room six years ago, those nine words hit me deeply.
Despite every heartbreaking detail etched in my mind, it is those words that I will not forget.
“My children will be warned that women like you exist.”
Those words were part of a statement made by Dee Devlin, McGregor’s fiancee and mother of his four children, three sons and a daughter, after an Irish High Court found him civilly liable for sexual assault on Friday.
They were addressed to Nikita Hand, the brave woman whom the jury found McGregor had assaulted on December 9, 2018 in a Dublin hotel room.
Nikita faced one of the most powerful men in Ireland (certainly the toughest) and won. Now the world can call him a rapist.
McGregor said he would appeal the decision, claiming it was “consensual”, even though the jury took just one day to decide that it was, on the balance of probabilities, rape.
Amanda Goff (pictured) is disgusted by Dee Devlin’s defense of her partner Conor McGregor after an Irish High Court jury found him civilly liable for sexual assault last week.
Dee Devlin was photographed arriving hand in hand with the mixed martial arts star to her civil court case. On Wednesday, she took to Instagram to post a lengthy rant in staunch defense of her fiancé.
Women around the world applauded in silence; I say quietly because, as we’ve seen on social media, McGregor supporters can be woman-hating thugs.
The result reminded us that survivors of sexual assault still have a voice, even if their abuser is rich and powerful, and even if justice comes in the form of obtaining compensation in a civil case, rather than seeing them convicted and imprisoned.
And you can’t be more powerful than McGregor. He is a celebrated martial arts champion, the star of an appropriately named Netflix documentary, Notorious, and perhaps the most famous Irishman of the 21st century.
Women are talking about this case. Even women who don’t have the slightest interest in the UFC. And, in my circle, everyone supported Nikita in her David vs. Goliath battle against McGregor, who used her body like it was nothing and then tried to shame her into submission.
But there is one woman who strongly supports him, and this is perhaps the saddest part of this whole sorry spectacle.
Dee Devlin, McGregor’s long-time fiancée who loved him when he was unemployed and broke, is supporting her man.
A man who, by the way, has not yet managed to marry her.
I studied those infamous photos of Dee and McGregor walking into court, Dee dressed in somber black, scanning his face for emotion. I saw pain and anxiety etched in his eyes and at first felt sympathy. Now I recognize that look for what it really was: fury.
Nikita Hand, also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin, took on one of the most powerful men in Ireland (certainly the toughest) and won. Now the world can call him a rapist.
Dee’s unwavering faith in her fiancé (either that or the lure of a $160 million wedding) has convinced her that McGregor is the real victim in all of this.
She wasn’t agonizing over what her fiancé had done. She was furious that Nikita, his victim, had dared to confront him and break the facade of their perfect lives.
Stupidly, I had been waiting for Dee to release a statement announcing her separation from McGregor, followed by a polite pledge to be “the best co-parents we can be.” I even imagined the painful conversations with his four innocent children. dad did something bad.
Well, it turns out that her unwavering faith in her fiancé (either that or the lure of a $160 million wedding) has convinced her that McGregor is the real victim in all of this.
Dee hasn’t left. And not only is he by her side, but he has aimed venomous vitriol at Nikita saying, in so many words: “He didn’t do anything wrong.” This is all your fault.
Let’s take a look at his statement, shall we? Not only did she say she was going to warn her children about women “like her” – the sharpest twist of the knife – but she went on to ask “what kind of woman are you?” – referring to Nikita drunk and dancing in a parking lot.
What are you saying, Dee? That Nikita asked for it? You see, it’s 2024 and the rest of us don’t think like that anymore. And we hope the men in our lives feel the same way.
I guess there are two types of women in the world: those who believe women when they make credible and obvious rape accusations, and those who don’t.
I know which side I’m on.
In another recent statement on Instagram, Dee gushed: ‘My man and I have created a beautiful life together. I love him, I trust him and I BELIEVE him!…Nothing and no one will change that.’
God, you’ve really drank the Kool-Aid, haven’t you? You have disappointed women. Each one of us.
Conor McGregor and Dee Devlin have been together for 15 years
McGregor proposed to Devlin in 2020, but the couple are not yet married
After reading Dee’s statement dozens of times, it’s time to lay out some facts.
In Australia, 22 per cent of women have experienced some form of sexual violence since the age of 15, and it is only women who report it. I don’t know what the statistics are in Ireland, Dee, but I can’t imagine they’re much better.
Nikita is one of those statistics now, by the way, thanks to the ‘man you love’.
We all know that the law is brutal; It does not matter if it is a civil or criminal court. Many women decide not to go to court because telling what happened to them and being questioned by defense attorneys will only increase their trauma.
We just didn’t think that you, a woman, would be part of the “we don’t believe you” gang.
You have your reasons, Dee, that’s for sure. I don’t know what’s going on in your relationship. Maybe there will be fights, slamming doors, tears, embarrassment..
I suspect that deep down you must be ashamed of Conor. But maybe there’s also a touch of pride in being known as the loyal wife (sorry, fiancee) who stands by her man through thick and thin, no matter what.
You may think she’s shorter than the dirt on your shoe, but believe me, there are so many women celebrating Nikita and how she triumphed over your fiancé.
Many of those women now feel encouraged to fight for justice for themselves. Others do it for the girls who didn’t make it out of the hotel rooms alive.
And as for those nine words – “my children will be warned that women like you exist” – of everything you’ve said over the past week, they were perhaps the most impactful.
McGregor-worshipping misogynists may have enjoyed his statement, but the good news is that a growing number of men (good men, not internet losers) are standing up for women and educating each other on how to be better.
Dee, you may want to go back decades, but you’re fighting a losing battle.
Now I only have two words for you: good luck.