Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images
A former Spurs psychologist has sued the team over ignoring Josh Primo’s sexual misconduct for nearly a year.
The San Antonio Spurs abruptly released Josh Primo last week and refused to share additional details about why they did it. The Spurs’ decision to waive Primo was jarring because the team had selected him with a lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and had just picked up his third-year option.
ESPN later reported Primo had exposed himself to women in the organization multiple times before being released. Now we have additional information on what allegedly happened between Primo and a former team psychologist, and the details are horrifying.
The Spurs allegedly ignored complaints from Hillary Cauthen since Jan. 2022 after the psychologist said Primo exposed himself to her on nine separate occasions. Cauthen is now filing a lawsuit against the organization with lawyer Tony Buzbee, saying the Spurs’ release of Primo was “too little, too late.”
Former Spurs psychologist Hillary Cauthen has sued the Spurs and Josh Primo and is filing a criminal complaint over alleged incidents involving indecent exposure by Primo, alleging Primo exposed himself nine times to her beginning in December 2021 and the franchise failed to act.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 3, 2022
Buzbee Law Firm has filed a lawsuit against Primo and the #Spurs claiming that Hillary Cauthen lost her “dream job” because the Spurs “ignored her repeated reports of indecent exposure on the part of Primo.”
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) November 3, 2022
Here’s more from the suit, via the San Antonio Express, which has full details:
“The Spurs organization was willing to sacrifice Dr. Cauthen to keep what
they hoped would one day be a star player,” the lawsuit states. “Once
Primo’s conduct entered the public sphere, the Spurs were forced to act
and release Primo. The Spurs’ recent actions with regard to Primo are too
little, too late.”
Cauthen gave the following statement at a press conference announcing the lawsuit:
Dr. Hillary Cauthen’s full speech at Buzbee press conference re: Joshua Primo / Spurs allegations:
“The organization I worked for has failed me… I spoke up, I asked for help, I gave options. My voice.. (was) silenced.”#PorVida pic.twitter.com/ethlaA2NbR
— Carolina Teague (@carolinateague_) November 3, 2022
The suit alleges Cauthen made numerous complaints about Primo’s improper sexual conduct during private sessions to the team that were largely ignored. Cauthen met with Spurs GM Brian Wright on March 21. He wasn’t waived until late Oct., 10 months later.
The lawsuit alleges the Spurs told Cauthen she was “unable to do her job in a professional manner.”
Spurs told Cauthen in July ’22 she would not be attending Summer League in Vegas and that “she was unable to do her job in a professional manner due to what was now a lack of trust between her and the team,” according to the lawsuit.
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) November 3, 2022
Primo’s attorney denied the allegations, and put out their own statement.
Here are the full allegations against the Spurs and Primo from the lawsuit, via Tom Petrini.
Against Primo:
And against the Spurs:
We’ll update this story as it develops.
