Kelli Tennant, the former Sportsnet LA reporter who filed a lawsuit on Monday against new Sacramento Kings coach Luke Walton alleging he sexually assaulted her, held a press conference alongside her attorneys on Tuesday to detail her claims and answer reporters’ questions.
The details are pretty jarring. Tennant says the first time Walton made unwanted advances was in 2014. She claims he told her to come to his room for an interview. When she was inside, Tennant says that Walton pinned her to the bed and began kissing her despite her protests.
“I was 25 when this first happened,” Tennant said when asked why she had not reported the attack until now. “And as a young woman who had only been in this job for less than a year, I was incredibly grateful for where I was and had worked incredibly hard to get to that point, I was scared and I felt coming forward would jeopardize every aspect of my life.”
Tennant was forced to interact with Walton after the attack because of her job. She says that she knew Walton would “hug me and kiss me on the cheek” every time he saw her despite her making it clear that such affection was unwanted.
Luke Walton has hired Mark Baute as his attorney. Baute claims that he and his client look forward to this going to trial.
Tennant was asked if she hopes her lawsuit leads to criminal charges being filed against the Kings’ coach. Her attorney says that is not something they are worried about right now and notes that they are not seeking a specific amount of money.
