CNN
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A sports psychologist, who was under contract with the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, has filed a civil lawsuit against the organization and 19-year-old former Spurs player Joshua Primo.
The psychologist alleges the player exposed himself to her during the therapy sessions and claims the organization’s leadership failed to act despite her ‘numerous complaints about Primo’s inappropriate sexual conduct’, according to a court filing .
Primo denied the allegations.
The lawsuit claims that Primo first exposed his genitals to Dr. Hillary Cauthen in a one-to-one private session in December 2021, that the exposures continued to occur, becoming “gradually more extreme”, and that the behavior of Primo “has not been controlled by the management of the organization for many years”. months,” even after Cauthen pointed it out.
Spurs’ legal team later told Cauthen, a licensed and accredited clinical psychologist, that the team “had lost faith in themselves,” Cauthen’s lawyer Tony Buzbee told a press conference on Thursday. .
When his contract was renewed in August, they opted not to renew it, according to the petition filed Thursday in Bexar County District Court.
“Primo’s conduct is obviously well outside the bounds of what is normal or acceptable. His conduct shocks the conscience,” Buzbee said.
“I would also say that the conduct of Spurs and the way they handled this matter was egregious and absolutely unreasonable.”
Primo was recently released from the team on October 28. Spurs Sports & Entertainment CEO RC Buford said the roster change would “serve the best interests of both the organization and Joshua” in a statement without providing specific details of the decision.
The player’s lawyers released a statement saying “Josh Primo is at the start of a promising career and has been devastated by these false allegations and the release from Spurs”.
His attorneys call Cauthen’s charges “either a complete fabrication, gross embellishment, or outright fantasy.”
“Josh Primo is a 19-year-old NBA player who has endured a lifetime of trauma and challenges.
“He is now the victim of his former team-appointed sports psychologist, who plays with ugly stereotypes and racist scares for his own financial gain,” their statement read.
Buzbee said his office has been in contact with Bexar County officials and also plans to file a criminal complaint on multiple counts of indecent exposure against Primo.
“We expect the competent authorities to prosecute,” he said at Thursday’s press conference.
CNN has reached out to the Spurs organization and the NBA for comment.
