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Joshua Primo, the shunned NBA newcomer minimize amid allegations he commonly uncovered himself to a staff therapist, stated Thursday that his accuser was utilizing “ugly stereotypes and racially charged fears” for her personal monetary acquire.
Primo made the weird declare simply hours after Dr. Hillary Cauthen filed a lawsuit in Bexar County, Texas, towards Primo and the San Antonio Spurs—a lawsuit by which she explicitly acknowledged that she’s not searching for financial damages.
As an alternative, Cauthen, a 40-year-old mom of 4, stated she desires accountability from the San Antonio Spurs, who she claims minimize her from a “dream job” regardless of her being a sufferer of alleged intercourse crimes by their younger star.
Cauthen alleged she repeatedly alerted staff officers that Primo was exposing his genitals to her, and so they assured her the problem was being addressed, however nothing modified.
As an alternative of disciplining Primo, Cauthen’s lawsuit says the Spurs coated up the alleged harassment final winter and didn’t renew her contract for the upcoming season.
“The Spurs group was keen to sacrifice Dr. Cauthen to maintain what they hoped would someday be a star participant,” Cauthen’s lawsuit says. “As soon as Primo’s conduct entered the general public sphere, the Spurs have been pressured to behave and launch Primo. The Spurs’ current actions with regard to Primo are too little, too late.”
The Spurs didn't reply to requests for remark Thursday.
Primo completed his rookie season with the Spurs with out pause on the courtroom. He started his second 12 months with the staff in October, nonetheless because the NBA’s youngest participant at simply 19.
His time in San Antonio ended on Friday, nevertheless, when the Spurs abruptly introduced that he’d been minimize from the staff, stunning the NBA world. Each Primo and the Spurs launched obscure statements about his launch, which raised questions on what could have occurred behind the scenes.
“I do know that you just all are stunned by right this moment’s announcement,” Primo instructed ESPN. “I’ve been searching for assist to take care of earlier trauma I suffered and can now take this time to concentrate on my psychological well being therapy extra absolutely.”
However whereas there was an preliminary smokescreen publicly, it’s since come out that Primo was minimize after two different ladies—one in Nevada, the opposite in Minnesota—accused him of exposing his genitals to them in current months.
Cauthen seized on these allegations as proof that she’s telling the reality about her expertise with Primo.
She alleged that Primo uncovered his genitals to her 9 occasions throughout in depth remedy periods that she stated have been necessitated by Primo’s tough childhood.
Primo first uncovered himself to Cauthen in December and he or she alerted staff officers by January, the lawsuit stated.
Primo aggressively denied these allegations in a assertion from his legal professional on Thursday, calling Cauthen’s lawsuit an “act of betrayal towards her younger consumer,” and saying he by no means purposefully uncovered himself.
“Dr. Cauthen’s allegations are both an entire fabrication, a gross embellishment or utter fantasy,” the assertion stated. “Josh Primo by no means deliberately uncovered himself to her or anybody else and was not even conscious that his personal elements have been seen outdoors of his exercise shorts.”
The assertion stated Cauthen by no means talked about the alleged indecent publicity to Primo.
An unnamed supply near Primo claimed to TMZ that the allegations stemmed from a “wardrobe malfunction” that resulted from him “laying down on a sofa in basketball shorts.”
Tony Buzbee, who just lately represented lots of Deshaun Watson’s accusers, was employed by Cauthen
“The group I labored for has failed me… It took the Spurs 10 months to do the best factor. And that’s too lengthy,” Cauthen stated at a press convention held by Buzbee on Thursday.
Cauthen stated she isn’t sure her stories of misconduct ever reached Head Coach Gregg Popovich earlier than final month, regardless of staff officers assuring her that they did.
Buzbee and Cauthen alluded to Primo’s potential and the Spurs’ vital funding in him—selecting him twelfth within the 2021 NBA Draft, guaranteeing him $12.5 million in pay—as enjoying an element of their resolution to defend him regardless of the allegations.
“Josh Primo’s conduct is effectively outdoors of the bounds of what's regular and acceptable,” Buzbee stated. “His conduct shocks the conscience. I'd additionally say that the Spurs’ conduct, the way in which they dealt with this conduct, was egregious and completely unreasonable.”