Former Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers star Dwight Howard is facing some strong accusations right now. Months after the news broke of him having an alleged sexual encounter with a man he met on Instagram, the said man is now suing him for alleged sexual assault and battery.
The man, named Stephen Harper, claims that what started as a consensual virtual relationship in which they exchanged texts, pictures, and videos of sexual and explicit nature took a sudden turn upon meeting the NBA champion.
Per court documents, Howard surprised Harper by bringing out another man dressed as a woman, forcing him to have a threesome with him. Howard hasn’t made any public comments about the matter, but he did share a video on TikTok mocking his haters because of this.
Now, one of Howard’s attorneys, Justin Bailey, talked to ESPN about the situation. He confirmed that his client indeed had an encounter with Harper, but stated that it was all consensual.
Dwight Howard responds to the haters
Dwight Howard’s Attorney Says It Was All Consensual
“What was a private consensual encounter was made public for profit and Mr. Howard looks forward to bringing the truth to light in a court of law,” Bailey said. “The allegations against Mr. Howard are contested. Mr. Howard intends to present the truth. The truth is Mr. Howard blocked Mr. Harper on social media and then was confronted with two options — pay to protect his reputation or have a fabricated story made public.”
The attorney states that Harper is only looking for profit, which is why the former Defensive Player of the Year didn’t hesitate teo trust the justice system, even knowing how this could affect his reputation:
“Despite being an easy target due to the subject matter and his status as a celebrity, Mr. Howard chose to trust in the justice system and will rely on all future court filings to speak for themselves,” he added.
Dwight Howard
Stephen A. Smith Claims NBA Teams Knew About This
Howard had been trying to get back to the NBA, and he even worked out with the Golden State Warriors, among other teams. That’s why ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith believes that they didn’t sign him, as they may have known about these accusations:
“That’s why teams didn’t want you,” Smith said on his podcast. “Whether they would admit it or not, and I’m not going to mention teams because I don’t want to incriminate anybody or accuse anybody or something I simply don’t know, I’m guessing. But I’m saying is – that’s the first thought that came to my mind: that’s why they don’t want him.”
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At the end of the day, Howard has every right to do whatever he pleases in the confines of his bedroom — as long as it’s all consensual. His reputation around the league had already taken multiple hits throughout the course of his career, but it had nothing to do with his sexuality. For now, it seems like we’ll just have to wait and see how this delicate situation unfolds.
SurveyWill Howard make it back to the NBA?
Will Howard make it back to the NBA?
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