Former Spurs guard Joshua Primo is reportedly under investigation over allegations of indecent exposure following a lawsuit filed Thursday by ex-team psychologist Dr. Hillary Cauthen in Bexar County, Texas.
According to The Athletic, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Friday that it has launched an investigation into Primo after getting in contact with Dr. Cauthen, who claims the Spurs ignored and attempted to cover up her reports concerning the 19-year-old’s actions.
In the suit, Dr. Cauthen said Primo exposed his genitals to her nine times during their individual private sessions, leading her to file “numerous complaints” with the team’s leadership. Dr. Cauthen said she first reported Primo to team management in January after beginning her stint with the team in September 2021, per the suit.
The Spurs waived Primo on Oct. 28. Per the lawsuit, the team released the 19-year-old because of at least two other incidents of exposure involving Primo that allegedly occurred in Nevada and Minnesota.
“Dr. Hillary Cauthen, a licensed, credentialed clinical psychologist, lost her dream job because the Spurs organization ignored her repeated reports of indecent exposure on the part of defendant Joshua Primo,” the suit reads. “Rather than act on Dr. Cauthen’s reports, the Spurs ignored her complaints, hoping the organization could ignore and then cover up Primo’s actions.”
On Thursday, Dr. Cauthen and her attorney Tony Buzbee held a press conference announcing the lawsuit against the Spurs and Primo, and confirmed that a criminal complaint had been filed for multiple counts of indecent exposure.
The suit also alleges that Dr. Cauthen met with multiple members of the San Antonio organization, including Spurs general manager Brian Wright in March, though she says “nothing was done about Primo’s behavior.” She also reportedly met with Spurs deputy general counsel Brandon James and head of human resources Kara Allen in May, who she says informed her that Primo would continue to participate in team activities despite her complaints.
In June, James and Allen reportedly informed Dr. Cauthen that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich “was aware of her complaint and accusations and that he wanted to do right by her.” According to Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News, it is the only time Popovich is mentioned in the lawsuit.
William J. Briggs II, Primo’s attorney, responded to the lawsuit Thursday in a statement maintaining his client’s innocence. At the time of his release, Primo said he had been “seeking help to deal with previous trauma” he suffered and would “focus on my mental health treatment more fully.” ESPN and The Athletic reported less than a day later that the Spurs released Primo over allegations of sexual misconduct.
“[Primo] is now being victimized by his former team appointed sports psychologist, who is playing to ugly stereotypes and racially charged fears for her own financial benefit,” Briggs wrote. “In an act of betrayal against her young client, Dr. Cauthen, who is 40 years old, falsely claims Josh Primo exposed himself to her during the course of her numerous therapy sessions. Dr. Cauthen’s allegations are either a complete fabrication, a gross embellishment or utter fantasy. Josh Primo never intentionally exposed himself to her or anyone else and was not even aware that his private parts were visible outside of his workout shorts.”
“Josh Primo is at the beginning of a promising career and has been devastated by these false allegations and release by the Spurs,” the statement continued. “He looks forward to clearing his name and to moving forward with his NBA career.”
