Former European Ryder Cupper Thorbjorn Olesen was found not guilty Wednesday of charges of sexual assault, assault and being drunk on an aircraft.
“I felt absolutely horrible and I was very sorry,” Olesen said. “I could not believe what they were saying what happened. I was just embarrassed and felt horrible.”
Olesen explained he drank two beers and two glasses of wine on a private jet beforehand, and had a vodka and cranberry juice before boarding the London-bound flight. He also took two melatonin pills to combat jet lag, along with two Ambein pills. Olesen said he would “never” have taken the pills had he known they were prescription-only or that sleeping walking could be a side-effect. Olesen denied remembering the events on the plane.
On Wednesday, a jury—after less than an hour of deliberation—cleared him of all charges.
Olesen, a five-time winner on the European Tour and member of the 2018 European Ryder Cup team, was originally suspended by the European Tour but given temporary reinstatement in July 2020 because of the delay in the hearing of his court case due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He made 17 starts on the Old World Circuit this season but struggled, his poor performance Olesen attributed this week to the incident and its fallout.