Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton has reportedly been accused of sexual assault by former Spectrum SportsNet LA host, Kelli Tennant. According to a civil suit filed against Walton, Tennant alleges that he "pinned her to the bed" and "began forcing kisses on her neck, face and chest" in his hotel room back in 2016.
Walton's attorney, Mark Baute, has vehemently denied the allegations and labelled Tennant as "an opportunist, not a victim."
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According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Baute said, "Luke Walton retained me to defend him against these baseless allegations. The accuser is an opportunist, not a victim, and her claim is not credible. We intend to prove this in a courtroom."
Amick reports that Kings general manager Vlade Divac had no prior knowledge of the Luke Walton accusations before they were made public by TMZ Sports. Both of Walton's former employers, the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers, have released statements on the matter, claiming they had no prior knowledge of any sexual assault allegations.
Details from the lawsuit, according to TMZ Sports:
In the docs, Tennant claims Walton then began forcing kisses on her neck, face and chest. She claims she screamed for him to stop and tried to free herself, but he held her down, groped her breasts and groin, and rubbed his erection on her leg.
She says he eventually relented and let her get up from the bed, but as she was walking towards the door to leave he grabbed her from behind and again forced his body up against hers.
Tennant claims when Walton finally released his grasp, she opened the door and left, but could hear him say, "Good to see you."
Tennant claims that she waited so long to report the incident because she would routinely interact with Walton as part of her job.
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