Warning: The following article contains allegations of sexual assault.
Golden State Warriors forward Anthony Lamb was accused of rape in a civil lawsuit filed against the University of Vermont this week, according to SFGate.
Lamb is not a defendant in the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court in Vermont on Wednesday. The plaintiffs in the case said that the University of Vermont had a “deliberate indifference” to sexual assault, and they named the school, its board of trustees, several administrators and athletic director Jeff Schulman in the case, per the report.
Kendall Ware, a former swimmer at Vermont, said in the lawsuit that she was allegedly raped by Lamb in 2019. The two had dated for about six months, she said in the lawsuit, but Lamb “began screaming and insulting” her at a party. The two went to a bedroom at the party, which is when Ware said Lamb allegedly raped her.
“During the encounter, without Ware’s consent, Lamb forcefully anally penetrated Ware as she repeatedly pleaded with him to stop, telling him ‘no’ over and over,” the suit said, via SFGate. “Ignoring her unequivocal demands, he told her to ‘just take it’ and continued to rape her.”
Ware reported that incident and two others with Lamb, including once where she said Lamb removed a condom without her consent during intercourse and another when he filmed her during sex without her consent, about a month later to Vermont’s Title IX office.
She said Vermont “steered” her into not filing a formal complaint against Lamb, and that administrators “misrepresented her options for holding her aggressor accountable, presenting her with a choice between pursuing harsh punishment for the player or none at all.”
The lawsuit accuses Vermont of failing to meet its obligations under Title IX, a breach of contract, denial of equal protection rights, negligent infliction of emotional distress and unlawful sex discrimination under state law, per the report. It is seeking unspecified damages.
Lamb denies accusations, Warriors did ‘due diligence’
Lamb spent four seasons at Vermont from 2016-20, and averaged 16.4 points and 6.5 rebounds throughout his career.
He denied the allegations against him in a statement on Thursday.
“The allegations made against me in 2019 that have recently resurfaced are patently false,” he said in a statement, via SFGate. “I have always been fully cooperative regarding the alleged incident, and have welcomed any investigation into the matter. Simply put, I have never committed sexual assault.”
Lamb, 24, is in his first season with the Warriors after short stints with both the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs. He’s averaging 5.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 18 games this season.
Warriors general manager Bob Myers said the team “checked with the NBA” and with the Rockets and Spurs when they signed Lamb this past offseason.
“Anthony is not a defendant in this recent lawsuit and, to our knowledge, he has never been charged with any wrongdoing in any legal case,” the Warriors said in a statement to SFGate. “Prior to signing Anthony in September, we did our due diligence with the NBA and his prior teams, as we do with all players. If any new information comes to light, we will certainly evaluate it and act accordingly.”
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, help is available. The National Sexual Violence Hotline is available 24/7 with free, anonymous help by calling 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or online at rainn.org.
