Luke Walton's Lawyer On Kelli Tennant: 'We Will Not Try This Case In The Media Or Pay Them A Dime'

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – The lawyer for Sacramento Kings coach Luke Walton has released a statement over the sexual assault accusations his client is facing from a former sports reporter.

Tuesday, Kelli Tennant spoke out during a news conference and explained her decision to come forward.

"I was scared. When someone assaults you and you think you're going to be raped, coming forward is a scary thing, and I have spent years now, dealing with this, trying to forget about it, hoping that I could push it to the side and bury it, and hoping that time would heal," Tennant said.

No exact date was given, but Tennant claimed Walton assaulted her in a Santa Monica hotel room during his time as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors.

Wednesday, Walton's lawyer released a statement in response to Tennant's news conference.

"These claims are false and Luke's innocence will be proven in court. Yesterday's press conference was a poorly staged attempt to portray the accuser as a viable spokesperson for an important movement. Her lawyers want to create a public circus to distract from their complete lack of evidence to support their outrageous claims. We will not try this case in the media or pay them a dime," wrote Mark D. Baute, Esq.

The Kings released a short statement on Monday on the situation, saying there are gathering more information, but they haven't commented since.

Tennant said she confided with people at the time of the allege assault, but no official police report was filed.