NBA Head Coach Luke Walton Accused of Sexual Assault by Sports Reporter Kelli Tennant
Current Sacramento Kings and former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton allegedly sexually assaulted a female reporter while he was an assistant with the Golden State Warriors, according to a lawsuit first reported by TMZ. In the lawsuit, Kelli Tennant, who was working as a reporter with SportsNet LA, claims she met Walton at the Hotel Casa Del Mar in Santa Monica, California, per the Los Angeles Times. The purpose of the meeting was to present him with a copy of her 2014 book, The Transition: Every Athlete’s Guide to Life After Sports, for which Walton penned the forward. (Tennant was a star volleyball player at the University of Southern California before starting a career in sports media.)
The two had maintained a working relationship and according to the lawsuit, Tennant viewed Walton as a “trusted mentor and colleague.” The lawsuit doesn’t specify a date when the incident allegedly took place, but Tennant does claim that after arriving at the hotel, Walton, who married his current wife in 2013, suggested they return to his hotel room. There, he “pinned Ms. Tennant on the bed, placing his hips and legs over her body,” the lawsuit, which was filed on Monday, claims, and “began forcing kisses on her neck, face and chest.”
Despite Tennant’s attempts to physically extricate herself, Walton allegedly restrained her and continued to molest her, touching her breasts and groin, despite her loud, vocal protests demanding he stop. According to the lawsuit: “[Tennant] was afraid she was about to be raped.” After Walton finally let her go and just as she reached the hotel door, Tennant recalled hearing him say: “Good to see you.”