Grenoble sack players in rape investigation

Lyon - Grenoble on Friday sacked the players facing accusations of drugging and raping a girl they met in a nightclub, the struggling French Top 14 side said.

"In order to avoid any confusion between the investigation, which concerns individual and private behaviour, and Grenoble Rugby club, we have decided to immediately lay off the players concerned as a precautionary measure," the club said in a statement, without giving any details.

The identities of the players and how many are accused have not been revealed.

The alleged victim of the attack told police she met several Grenoble players in a nightclub last Saturday night after the club's Top 14 defeat in Bordeaux.

She said that some of them drugged her and then "forced her to go to a hotel where she was raped," local media reported.