A new lawsuit alleges that new Sacramento Kings coach Luke Walton sexually assaulted a woman sometime before being named coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in April 2016.
The civil lawsuit, first reported by TMZ and confirmed by ESPN, alleges that Kelli Tennant, a former host on Spectrum SportsNet LA — the Lakers’ regional sports network — received an unwanted physical advance by Walton at a Santa Monica, California, hotel room.
The suit alleges that Tennant, who had a working relationship with Walton stemming from his time as a guest analyst on Spectrum, met with him in his room to discuss his writing a foreword for a book she was working on.
According to the legal documents obtained by ESPN, Walton allegedly pinned Tennant to the hotel bed and forcibly kissed and groped her.
Tennant said Walton finally relented after she asked him to stop and she started to leave the room when he grabbed her again and kissed her ears and neck. She said he finally stopped, laughed and said “Good to see you” before she left the room.
Tennant said she confided with people at the time of the alleged attack but never filed charges. She said Walton continued to harass her after he became coach of the Lakers and she was working as a broadcaster in Los Angeles for Spectrum.
The Lakers said they were never told of the allegations when Walton was their coach and had no additional comment because he now works for another team.
“At no time before or during his employment here was this allegation reported to the Lakers,” the statement read. “If it had been, we would have immediately commenced an investigation and notified the NBA. Since Luke Walton is now under contract to another team, we will have no further comment.”
The Kings released a statement on Monday night regarding the alleged incident.
“We are aware of the report and are gathering additional information,” the statement said. “We have no further comment at this time.”
The Warriors said they were also “aware of the alleged incident” and gathering additional information. The team had no other comment.
The NBA has opened an investigation of its own, sources told ESPN.
Walton “mutually parted ways” with the Lakers earlier this month, according to the team, and was hired by the Kings the next day.
Team sources told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne that the alleged incident occurred well before Walton joined the Lakers. “No one ever reported it to the team,” a source said. “And that is not why the team parted ways with him.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source:ESPN
