Los Angeles (AFP)
Sacramento Kings NBA coach Luke Walton, who is accused by a sexual assault reporter, will not be disciplined, the North American Basketball League and the California club said Friday after a joint investigation.
In a statement, the NBA and the Kings said the investigation after Kelli Tennant's charges failed to find "sufficient grounds to support the allegations against Walton."
At a press conference in April, the journalist accused the former Los Angeles Lakers coach of attempted rape and reported filing a civil complaint.
According to Kelli Tennant, in 2014, when he was an assistant coach at the Golden State Warriors and working for a local TV station, Walton would have lured her to her hotel room in Santa Monica, California, on the pretext of telling him about a book she was writing. The coach would have pushed her onto the bed, kissed and hit by force.
"More than 20 people have been interviewed, including coach Walton, and many documents and other relevant materials have been reviewed," the statement said.
"The investigators have repeatedly tried to interrogate Ms. Tennant, but, through her lawyer, she refused," added the two entities, concluding that "the investigation is considered closed unless new evidence become available ".
Walton, 39, was named to the Kings on April 15 just days after being sacked by the Los Angeles Lakers after three seasons.
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