LONDON — A woman who claimed mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in a Dublin hotel penthouse was awarded nearly 250,000 Euros ($257,000) on Friday by a civil court jury in Ireland.

The woman said the Dec. 9, 2018 assault after a night of partying had left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

McGregor shook his head as the jury of eight women and four men returned the verdict after deliberating about six hours in the High Court in Dublin. He was mobbed by cameras as he left court but did not comment.

McGregor testified that he never forced the woman to do anything against her will and said she fabricated the allegations after the two had consensual sex.

The woman’s lawyer said she never pretended to be a saint and had gone out looking for a good time that ended up turning into a nightmare.

Attorney John Gordon said McGregor was angry about a fight he had lost in Las Vegas two months earlier and took it out on his client.

“He’s not a man, he’s a coward,” Gordon told jurors. “A devious coward and you should treat him for what he is.”

The woman had to take several breaks in her emotional testimony as she said McGregor threatened to kill her during the encounter.

McGregor put her in a choke hold several times and later told her, “now you know how I felt in the octagon where I tapped out three times,” referring to an Ultimate Fighting Championship when he had to admit defeat, she said.

She feared she would die and never see her daughter again.

“He let me go and I remember saying I was sorry, as I felt that I did something wrong and I wanted to reassure him that I wouldn’t tell anyone so he wouldn’t hurt me again,” she said.

She said she then let him do what he wanted and he had sex with her.

Police investigated the woman’s complaint, but prosecutors declined to bring charges, saying there was insufficient evidence and a conviction was unlikely.

McGregor said the two had sex that was athletic and vigorous, but not rough. He said “she never said ‘no’ or stopped” and testified that everything she said was a lie.

“It is a full blown lie among many lies,” he said when asked about the chokehold allegation. “How anyone could believe that me, as a prideful person, would highlight my shortcomings.”

McGregor’s lawyer told jurors they had to set aside their animus toward the fighter.

“You may have an active dislike of him, some of you may even loathe him – there is no point pretending that the situation might be otherwise,” attorney Remy Farrell said. “I’m not asking you to invite him to Sunday brunch.”

The defense said the woman never told investigators McGregor threatened her life. They also showed surveillance video in court that they said appeared to show the woman kiss McGregor’s arm and hug him after they left the hotel room. Farrell said she looked “happy, happy, happy.”

McGregor said that when he was first questioned by police, he read them a prepared statement. On the advice of his lawyer, he refused to answer more than 100 follow-up.

WASHINGTON — The White House was tinted green on Thursday, when President Joe Biden — Secret Service code name: Celtic — welcomed “Coach Joe” Mazzulla and the Boston Celtics to the South Lawn to celebrate the franchise’s unprecedented 18th NBA championship.

In a tradition believed to have begun when Bill Russell’s 1963 Celtics met with President John F. Kennedy, Biden welcomed the NBA’s 2024 champions and gave them a tour of the Oval Office. In all, the league’s most-decorated franchise has won at least one title in eight of the last 13 presidential administrations.

“The Celtics aren’t just a basketball team. They’re a way of life,” Biden told the crowd, quoting Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach before receiving a No. 46 jersey from All-Star Jayson Tatum and guard Derrick White.

Biden noted that his Secret Service code name is “Celtic.”

“For real. Because I’m Irish,” the president said. “Everybody behind me is Irish in their heart. I feel a special pride in this trophy. From this old Irish Celtic, to all you Celtics, congratulations.”

Biden, who was once one of the youngest senators in U.S. history and is now the country’s oldest president ever, said he felt a kinship with Mazzulla, who was 35 when he led the Celtics to the title in his second season.

“Joe’s the youngest head coach to win a title since the great Bill Russell,” Biden said. “I told him I used to be the youngest and now I’m the oldest. I liked being the youngest better.”

The Celtics were greeted with a band playing “Shipping up to Boston,” before Biden and team owner Wyc Grousbeck joined them on the risers facing the Washington Monument; green lights shined from from the eaves of the White House behind them. Among those in attendance were Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and most of the state’s congressional delegation.

“I didn’t really know what to expect. I walked in, I was like ‘I’m more excited than I thought I was going be,” White told reporters afterward. “To be in the White House, to be where all the decisions — all the cool things — are happening, that was the best part.”

Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca said Biden’s 4-year-old grandson, Beau Jr., tried on his championship ring. (Oshae Brissett, a member of the 2024 team who is not with the Celtics this year, was at the ceremony and received his championship ring on Thursday.)

Biden also received a commemorative basketball, which he tossed to Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, who was sitting in the front row, and then to Celtics center Al Horford.

“I wasn’t expecting a pump fake,” White told reporters. “It’s harder to make a pass in a suit, so I was impressed.”

Biden was well-briefed on the Celtics history and their success last year, when they cruised to 64 wins in the regular season – their most since winning the 2008 title, and the fourth-best in franchise history. They went 16-3 in the playoffs, eliminating the Dallas Mavericks in five games.

Biden even noted that the ’24 Celtics had the highest ratio of points per possession in NBA history – one of the wonkier stats, but one that had team vice president and stats guru Mike Zarren beaming.

“The basketball stats community has come a long way: the President of the United States is talking about points per possession!” Zarren posted on X after speaking to reporters at the ceremony.

Members of the Celtics organization went back into the White House after the festivities to meet with administration officials on pet issues, including “Raise the Age,” which seeks to have 18- to 20-year-olds treated as juveniles in the criminal justice system, and “Curbside Care,” which provides medical aid to new mothers in underserved communities.

“This was a very exciting and moving day,” Grousbeck told reporters in a video call afterwards. “We had not been focused on this. We got through the banner and opening night, and then it was all business. Joe (Mazzulla) doesn’t want us to dwell too much on the past, he wants everyone to focus on moving forward. Having said that, everyone here, including Joe, seemed to have a great time.”

Zarren said he spoke to a Secret Service agent who was a Celtics fan and had to bear with the Golden State Warriors’ visit two years ago.

“He told them it was a bittersweet moment because he wished his Celtics were here. And they said to him, ‘Don’t worry, they’ll be here soon,’” Zarren said. “So for him, it was a good moment to see us show up inside there.”

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