The San Antonio Spurs’ decision to release Josh Primo last week stunned many around the NBA.
When the ugly details of what precisely the youngster stood accused of emerged, it clarified why Gregg Popovich and Co. felt the need to take such a strong stance.
Per the allegations made against him, Primo stands accused of exposing himself to multiple women.
In the days that followed his release from the team that drafted him just one year ago, ex-Spurs consulting psychologist Dr. Hillary Cauthen emerged as one of the women claiming impropriety on Primo’s part. The specifics of their relationship came out shortly thereafter.
This week, sources close to Primo defended him against the allegation that Dr. Cauthen made.
“Sources close to Primo are insistent he never intentionally exposed his privates,” TMZ reported. “… and if anything was visible at any time, it was strictly a wardrobe malfunction resulting from laying down on a couch in basketball shorts.
“It’s been documented … JP had a rough childhood, and we’re told the psychologist was helping him work through some personal issues … so he’d almost always go to her office in shorts before or after practice or games.”
The same sources went on to say that Primo was “shocked” by Dr. Cauthen’s claims and that “many in his circle feel he’s a young guy who’s being taken advantage of by a medical professional twice his age.”
Make of that what you will.
Tony Buzbee, the attorney who represented the 24 women who sued Cleveland Browns star Deshaun Watson for sexual misconduct, is representing Dr. Cauthen.
Primo, for his part, has offered just one official statement on this matter.
Josh Primo statement to ESPN in the aftermath of his release from the Spurs tonight: pic.twitter.com/H1n3k3IIcn
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 29, 2022
“I’ve been seeking help to deal with previous trauma I suffered and will now take this time to focus on my mental health treatment more fully,” Primo said.
“I hope to be able to discuss these issues in the future so I can help others who have suffered in a similar way. I appreciate privacy at this time.”
Many believe that Primo’s NBA future is very much in doubt right now.
The Spurs took him with the 12th overall pick in the 2021 draft. He showed a lot of promise, averaging 5.9 points over the course of 54 outings. He even started in 16 games as a rookie.
San Antonio liked Primo so much, in fact, that the front office just picked up the $4.3 million 2023-24 option on his rookie deal. He was supposed to be a core piece of the franchise’s rebuild.
Now that’s how you honor Michael Jordan on Halloween. https://t.co/XVexPoCUce
— Game 7 (@game7__) November 2, 2022
Now all of that is done.
Primo will need to get his legal affairs sorted first. And then he and his representatives can determine where his NBA career goes from here.
These types of situations are always tough. Hopefully the wronged parties involved ultimately end up getting the justice they deserve.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
