Sean Penn has lived with rumors of assaulting Madonna for years now. But the actor wants to set the record straight once and for all.
Both Penn and Madonna deny that the actor was ever abusive to her. The two were married from 1985 to 1989. According to Penn, the rumors got bad and negatively affected his house. However, the actor did admit that a SWAT team raided his house. The team came because Madonna told police he had guns in the house. At the time, she said she was concerned for his well being.
"I had a freaking SWAT team come into my house," he told the New York Times. "I said, 'I'm not coming out. I'm going to finish my breakfast. The next thing I knew, windows were being broken all around the house, and they came in."
Pen added, "They had me in handcuffs." Later the actor said he heard rumors that he "trussed her up like a turkey." He said, "I didn't know what 'trussed up' meant, first." It was only when he was out with another woman did Penn realize how far spread these rumors had went.
He said, "She's looking at me like I killed her dog" as she asked him "about this hitting Madonna in the head with a baseball bat." He said, "I didn't know what the hell she was talking about. Now I think it's fair to say that I'm not the biggest guy in the world. But if I hit Mike Tyson in the head with a baseball bat, he's going to the hospital."
Sean Penn Denies Rumors
Despite their fractured romance, Penn and Madonna developed a friendship in the years since. She even defended him in court when Lee Daniels defamed him. Penn sued Daniels for $10 million after he implied that Sean Penn was abusive.
Madonna shared a statement for the lawsuit, "I am aware of the allegations that have surfaced over the years accusing Sean of incidents of physical assault and abuse against me. Specifically, I am aware of the allegations concerning an alleged incident that occurred in June 1987, whereby (according to tabloid reports) Sean allegedly struck me with 'a baseball bat'. I know the allegations in those and other reports to be completely outrageous, malicious and false."
The statement continued, "I am also aware of allegations concerning an incident that occurred in December 1989, which purportedly resulted in Sean's arrest for domestic assault and battery against me. I know those allegations to be false. While we certainly had more than one heated argument during our marriage, Sean has never struck me, 'tied me up' or physically assaulted me, and any report to the contrary is completely outrageous, malicious, reckless and false."
