Joshua Primo to face police investigation after harassing former team therapist Dr. Hillary Cauthen.
Former San Antonio Spurs guard Joshua Primo will face police investigation after he exposed himself on multiple occasions to a former team therapist during counseling sessions, reported by the official NBA website.
Dr. Hillary Cauthen filed a lawsuit against the Spurs and Primo, claiming the 19-year-old exposed his genitals to her nine times during multiple sessions.
In addition to the civil complaint that was filed Thursday in Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, Cauthen filed a criminal complaint against Primo.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office told The Associated Press it “has made contact with the victim involved in the Joshua Primo incident.” The sheriff’s office called it a “preliminary investigation into the allegations” against Primo.
In her lawsuit, the team’s former performance psychologist stated that the Primo was not disciplined by Spurs following her numerous complaints about the player’s improper sexual conduct.
Cauthen stated she had informed and requested a meeting with Spurs general manager Brian Wright after what she described as Primo’s first incident of indecent exposure in December 2021.
She stated that her request for a meeting in January was postponed by Wright until March, during which time Cauthen continued to counsel Primo despite her concerns.
Cauthen said her role with the team was marginalized in the months that followed, culminating in her contract not being renewed in August.
In a statement released shortly after Cauthen’s news conference, Spurs CEO R.C. Buford said the franchise disagrees “with the accuracy of facts, details and timeline presented today.”
San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said he could not comment on when he was first informed about Primo’s alleged behavior and what actions the Spurs did or did not take because it is now a legal matter. Popovich did say the Spurs have long worked to maintain a healthy work environment.
“I would only add that anybody that has observed the Spurs over a very long period of time knows that an accusation like this would be taken very seriously, without any doubt whatsoever,” Popovich said. “No equivocation, the Spurs organization would be on top of it. I am absolutely confident that the men and women on the managerial staff that dealt with and are dealing with this did so purposefully, efficiently, promptly and did it with the utmost care for everybody concerned, the accuser, the accused, the people in the organization, to make sure that everybody still felt comfortable and safe. I’ll just leave my comments at that.”
