Gregg Popovich Comes to Spurs' Defense Amid Josh Primo Lawsuit
The San Antonio Spurs organization has become the focus of a lawsuit from a former team psychologist Hillary Cauthen due to their potential handling of alleged incidents where former guard Josh Primo exposed himself during private sessions.
When asked about the lawsuit, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich made clear that he cannot reveal details as the legal process unfolds, which may take a while to occur. However, he remains 'absolutely confident' in the people within the managerial staff that dealt with the incident and are dealing with the lawsuit that they did so with the 'utmost care' for everybody involved.
“…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, no equivocation, the Spurs organization would be on top of it,” Popovich said. “And I am absolutely confident the men and women on the managerial staff that dealt, 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 felt comfortable and safe, and I will just leave my comments at that.”
Cauthen made her allegations against Primo during a news conference at her attorney’s office in Houston after filing a civil lawsuit — alleging the former Spurs guard exposed his genitals to her nine times during private sessions. She also stated that despite making complaints to Spurs executes, no action was taken against Primo.
The lawsuit alleges that Primo first exposed himself to Cauthen in December 2021 and she made Spurs general manager Brian Wright aware of what occurred — resulting in a sentiment that "nothing was done about Primo's behavior."
Among the questions emerging from the overall incident is the potential awareness that Popovich had about Primo's behavior. Cauthen alleges that she was told Popovich was made aware of Primo's actions, but she feels as though 'she was being lied to.'
“She had great respect for coach Popovich," Cauthen's attorney said. "I think a lot of people see him as a progressive coach, somebody who speaks out on social issues, somebody who talks about culture. She insisted he be aware of what we going on. She was told that he was aware about what was going on. Now, we can’t stand here on the 75th floor of the Chase (Tower) and tell you that that was the truth. We don’t know at that point of time, and I am talking about in June when they told her that, ‘Coach Pop is aware. Coach Pop knows.’ I think we may have concluded here that at that point in time she was being lied to."
Popovich was unable to provide details about the situation when asked to clarify the timeline of his knowledge of events about Primo's behavior. He made clear that the situation is now in the hands of the team's lawyers and he is unable to comment.
“I understand your question and your desire to get as many details as you can, but as you also know this is in the hands of lawyers now, and so I can’t go there, and I am not going to go there,” Popovich said. “It is up to them. They are going to talk about it, they are going to argue about it, they are going to go back and forth. That’s what they do. So, while that is going on, I can’t talk about details.
“But I will say that I stand by the statement that came out yesterday by the Spurs organization with contrast to many of the things that were said at the press conference.”
The Spurs organization has expressed public disagreement with details that Cauthen has offered about the situation, but expresses an inability to share more details at this time as the legal process plays out.
“We disagree with the accuracy of facts, details and timeline presented today,” Buford said in the statement. “While we would like to share more information, we will allow the legal process to play out. Our organization remains committed to upholding the highest standards and will continue to live by our values and culture.”
There has been a criminal investigation launched by the Bexar County Sherriff's Department to look into the accusations made against Primo.
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