From WEEI, I wonder if Chauncey's job is still safe, how thorough were the Blazers?
mods feel free to move/merge this to where appropriate
https://twitter.com/WEEI/status/1415378347178172417?s=20As Chauncey Billups emerged as a top NBA coaching candidate, reports about his largely forgotten 1997 sexual assault case in Waltham began to resurface. Until now, details about the alleged incident have been scarce, given the scant media coverage it received at the time.
But that is no longer the case, thanks to Diana Moskovitz of Defector Media, who recently unearthed 200 public documents about the episode. The specifics of the lawsuit a woman filed against Billups and then-Celtics teammates Ron Mercer and Antoine Walker, and the arguments they used to dismiss the suit, are spelled out in detail.
The Blazers tried to quell further questions about the alleged assault when they introduced Billups as their new coach last month. But with this information, they may not be able to do that for long. (The Blazers didn't contact Billups' accuser during their hasty investigation, according to her attorney.)
The story begins on Nov. 9, 1997, when the woman, who is referred to as “Jane Doe” in the suit, went to a comedy club with Walker, Billups, Mercer and Walker’s friend and roommate, Michael Irvin (not the football player). After leaving the club, Doe rode back with Billups to Walker’s home in Waltham, where she says she was sexually assaulted.
That night, Doe says she lost consciousness and woke up in Irvin’s bedroom, where used condoms and wrappers were strewn all over the floor. She says she barged out of the room and immediately called a friend, telling them “something bad” had happened to her.
The following day, Doe said in her complaint she was vomiting and felt pain in “her back, rectum, legs, neck and throat.” She couldn’t drink or eat, and was unable to stop trembling. Later that day, she was examined at Boston Medical Center.
“She said in her amended complaint that the exam found bruises on her body as well as injuries to her throat, cervix, and rectum,” Moskovitz writes. “The injuries to her back ‘were consistent with the plaintiff having been dragged across a rug.’ Per her complaint, she was diagnosed with shock.”
A rape kit was done, and that same day, the woman went to police. Her complaint also contains what Walker, Billups, Mercer and Irvin told authorities. Mercer and Billups both claimed she had voluntary oral sex with them at Mercer’s house, and Irvin also admitted to having “sexual relations” with Doe that evening. He said the act happened at Mercer’s house as well.
The woman went on to sue Billups, Mercer and Irvin for causing physical and emotional distress. She also sued Walker for failing to protect her in his home, which he contested, saying it was not his responsibility to protect her. (Walker was removed from the suit, but an appeals court vacated the decision. He was eventually added back.)
The case continued to play out over the span of two years, and notably, Billups and Mercer changed their stories. In an answer filed in March 1999, Billups said he was never at Walker’s home and denied an assault had occurred. Instead, he said Doe initiated oral sex with him in his car.
Mercer also denied being at Walker’s home on the night of the alleged assault. He recalled having consensual oral sex with Doe on a different day that November in Billups’ home.
Originally, the two men said they had oral sex with the woman at Mercer’s house that night.
The following January, a judge ordered most documents pertaining to the case would be made public, despite objections from the three basketball players. But as Moskovitz points out, the coverage was uncritical.
The Boston Globe’s headline reads as follows: “Celtics’ Walker: Accuser Sought Money.”
The Boston Herald didn’t do much better. “Walker claims false charges cost him endorsements,” read its headline.
Suffice to say, the media climate has changed quite a bit over the last 21 years. Women who accuse famous athletes of sexual misconduct are rightfully taken much more seriously.
Billups has been able to avoid scrutiny for 21 years. But that is changing. Give the entire story a read. It is worth your while.
Topic: Details uncovered in Chauncey Billups’ 1997 sexual assault case while he played (Read 5518 times)