The NBA and the Sacramento Kings announced Thursday they will conduct a joint investigation into the allegations that coach Luke Walton sexually assaulted a woman in 2014.
Earlier this week, former sports reporter Kelli Tennant filed a civil lawsuit against Walton, accusing him of pining her to a bed, groping and kissing her in a Santa Monica, California hotel room. Tennant, 31, spoke publicly about the incident for the first time on Wednesday.
“The Kings and the NBA take these allegations very seriously and will collaborate to conduct a complete and thorough investigation,” the Kings said in a statement.
The Kings and the NBA will jointly investigate the claims made in the civil suit against coach Luke Walton pic.twitter.com/LGWj2Lp4Cu
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) April 25, 2019
The Kings introduced Walton as their new coach on April 15, but the team has said it was unaware of the allegations beforehand.
Walton has denied the allegations and his attorney, Mark Baute, said they will be able to prove it in court. Baute also said they will not pay Tennant “a dime.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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