SAN ANTONIO — A former consulting psychologist for the San Antonio Spurs has been identified by her attorney as one of the women accusing Josh Primo of sexual misconduct, and they're expected to hold a press conference this week.
The Spurs made a shocking announcement on Friday night that they were cutting the 19-year-old who they had viewed as a potential star for the team, just weeks after guaranteeing his salary for next season.
About a day after news broke that the Spurs had parted ways with Primo, Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported for ESPN that Primo was waived after multiple alleged instances where he exposed himself to women. The report also said that a former Spurs employee who accused Primo has hired attorney Tony Buzbee, who sued then-Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson on behalf of many of the women who accused him of sexual misconduct.
Buzbee's firm said that they will hold a press conference in Houston Thursday to discuss the allegations against Primo. The report states that the firm represents a former consulting psychologist for the team who made allegations against him, and that she will make a statement and answer questions at the press conference.
"The Buzbee Law Firm represents former San Antonio Spurs consulting psychologist Dr. Hillary Cauthen," they said in an email to KENS 5. "At the conference, Tony Buzbee will discuss allegations made by Dr. Cauthen and others against NBA player Josh Primo, the events that precipitated the release of Primo, the veracity of recent public statements made by both the Spurs organization and Primo, interactions with individuals within the San Antonio Spurs organization, and the expected path forward. Dr. Cauthen will be present to make a public statement and answer pertinent questions. No proprietary information will be shared at the conference. HIPPA restrictions will be observed."
After being cut by the Spurs, the other 29 teams in the NBA had an opportunity to claim the talented guard and pay the rest of his contract. After looking into the situation, they all declined. Primo cleared waivers and became a free agent on Monday.
San Antonio took Primo with the 12th pick in 2021, and they currently owe him a bit more than $8 million through the 2023-24 season. The team may be able to fight paying that if he is found to have violated his contract, but that remains to be seen. Wojnarowski reported on Monday that teams are still monitoring Primo's future, but claiming him off waivers and committing to the contract he's owed was too big a risk given the uncertainty.
Primo has not been charged with a crime. After clearing waivers he could sign a contract with any NBA team that wants to bring him in, but that seems unlikely at this point. Plenty of questions about his situation remain unanswered, but the information that has been reported and the decisiveness with which the Spurs acted indicates this is a serious situation.
After the Spurs cut him and before news of the allegations against him broke, Primo released a statement to ESPN that he had been seeking help to deal with trauma, and that he will take this time to focus on his mental health.