Rose on sexual assault allegation: 'I know the truth, and am confident I will be proven innocent'
An ex-girlfriend of Derrick Rose has accused the Chicago Bulls point guard and two of his friends of drugging and gang-raping her, TMZ Sports reported Wednesday.
The report alleges that the woman, identified as Jane Doe, dated Rose from 2011-13, and the assault occurred after she rebuffed Rose's overtures for group sex. From the report:
Rose's accuser says the two continued to date until August 2013, when Rose and two friends, Ryan Allen and Randall Hampton (who is also Rose's personal manager), invited her to Rose's Beverly Hills house. She says there, they slipped a drug into her drink with the aim of raping her.
The plaintiff says she escaped the house with a friend, but later that night, Rose and his friends broke into her apartment and gang raped her while she was incapacitated. She says she remembers only "flashes" of the incident, but can remember the defendants forcibly raping her.
Doe is seeking unspecified damages and says she waited two years to file the suit because she was "ashamed and embarrassed."
A spokesperson for Rose released the following statement:
The plaintiff's allegations are completely false and without any factual basis. This is nothing more than a desperate attempt to shake down a highly respected and successful athlete.
Mr. Rose was in a non-exclusive, consensual relationship with the plaintiff for over two years. The plaintiff expressed no complaints about Mr. Rose until various lawyers began to surface and demand that the plaintiff be paid millions of dollars. This is the third lawyer the plaintiff has retained in this matter.
Two years have passed since Mr. Rose ended the consensual relationship with the plaintiff, and her claims are as meritless now as they were two years ago. We have complete confidence that the case will be dismissed and that Mr. Rose will be vindicated. This lawsuit is outrageous.
In a statement to USA Today, Rose said the following:
I am just focusing on staying healthy and getting ready for the season. I am not going to comment other than to say - I know the truth, and am confident I will be proven innocent.
The Bulls released the following statement:
We just learned about this matter and do not know all the facts. It would be inappropriate to comment further.