New Sacramento Kings coach Luke Walton is being sued for an alleged sexual assault by Los Angeles-based sports reporter Kelli Tennant, according to a report by TMZ Sports on Monday.
The report initially indicated that the alleged assault took place during Walton’s tenure as the Los Angeles Lakers’ head coach from 2016-17 through the end of the current season, but TMZ later altered the story to state that the incident occurred before Walton coached the Lakers.
The Kings issued a statement that read, “We are aware of the report and are gathering additional information. We have no further comment at this time.”
The report includes a summary of legal documents acquired by TMZ Sports that say Tennant, who says she knew Walter for “several years,” met Walton at his Santa Monica hotel in May 2017 to discuss him writing a forward for a book she had been working on.
She alleges that he convinced her to come up to his hotel room, where he groped her and forced himself on her before eventually relenting.
Following the hotel-room incident, Tennant claims that Walton continued to verbally and physically harass her, according to a report from theblast.com. She is seeking an unspecified amount in damages.
Walton parted ways with the Lakers on April 12 after a 37-45 season. He compiled a 98-148 record over three seasons, with no playoff appearances. He was quickly hired by the Kings.
