Mason Greenwood is now a father. The indefinitely suspended since January of 2022 Manchester United forward just announced this development, minutes ago, via his Instagram feed. The mother of the child is Harriet Robson, his romantic partner who accused him a year and a half ago of rape, assault and coercive behavior.
The couple has reconciled and reunited since then, with Robson dropping the charges in February of this year.
? Mason Greenwood and his partner have announced the birth of their child on Instagram: pic.twitter.com/Q4jeNH6Dhd
— UnitedReds (@UnitedRedscom) July 14, 2023
How you choose to feel about all this is up to you. If you’re clicking here, then you’ve likely heard the disturbing audio that Robson recorded, which was later posted on social media. Likewise for the graphic imagery she photographed, which again was made public.
So you already know the situation, and you can make your own judgement accordingly. Robson made her decision to take Greenwood back, and now by having this child together, they are further intertwined.
The only commentary I have is this- let’s all hope for the best, somehow someway, for all involved here. Obviously, this child is being born in less than ideal circumstances, which is unfair to the kid, but life is very messy. In terms of on the pitch, this announcement could be a bridge to Greenwood returning to action this season.
While he is obviously proud of becoming a father, no doubt he went public with this in the hopes of trying to rehab his radioactive public image. You can bet that a publicity professional made this post for him on his account, or at the very least provided prior approval.
Whether this works to help his tarnished brand or not…that is up to the court of public opinion to decide.
If/when he does return this season, it might not be with United. The Mason Greenwood internal investigation, just like every other piece of business they do, is dragging on forever with no end in sight. United may send him out on loan.
The likes of AS Roma, Juventus and Atalanta have all expressed potential interest in bringing him aboard for the 2023-24. Ditto for some other clubs in Italy, as well as Turkey and Spain.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.