Walton's attorney says sexual assault claims are false
New Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton's attorney, Mark Baute, responded to allegations of sexual assault made by former Spectrum SportsNet reporter Kelli Tennant.
"These claims are false and Luke's innocence will be proven in court," Baute said in the statement provided to The Athletic's Sam Amick. "Yesterday's press conference was a poorly staged attempt to portray the accuser as a viable spokesperson for an important movement.
"Her lawyers want to create a public circus to distract from their complete lack of evidence to support their outrageous claims. We will not try this case in the media or pay them a dime."
Tennant has filed a civil suit against Walton. She says he assaulted her in 2014 in Santa Monica, Calif., while he working for the Golden State Warriors as an assistant coach.
Tennant detailed the alleged incident to reporters on Tuesday and said fear had kept her from discussing it sooner.
"I was scared," she said. "When someone assaults you, and you think you're going to be raped, coming forward is a scary thing. And I have spent years now dealing with this."
The Kings are backing Walton for now while working with the NBA to find out the truth behind the allegations, a source told Amick.
Walton was hired by the Kings earlier this month after leaving his job as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.