Less than a week after Derrick Rose was deposed in a rape lawsuit, the Knicks traded for him without ever seeking the alleged victim’s side of the story, the woman’s lawyer said Wednesday.
Brandon Anand, who is representing the 30-year-old “Jane Doe,” said he suspects the Chicago Bulls dealt Rose because of the pending lawsuit.
“My first reaction was maybe they’re hiding this from the Knicks and passed him off without giving full disclosures, but it seems to me like the Knicks should’ve done their own investigation,” Anand told the Daily News.
Asked about Anand’s charge that he was never contacted by the Knicks, the team declined to comment and pointed to an earlier statement from Knicks President Phil Jackson that he was “aware” of the lawsuit.
Derrick Rose rape accuser: ‘He has to deal with’ what he did
If the $21.5 million lawsuit goes to trial Oct. 4, it could mean Rose would miss at least two preseason games and multiple practices as he tries to get acclimated to a new team.
More worrisome are the sordid and embarrassing details emerging from this case — with attorneys on both sides fully immersed in public mud-slinging.
Of the more inflammatory is the admission from Rose that he and his two friends drove to the accuser’s Southern California home in the early-morning hours of Aug. 27, 2013.
Phil Jackson admits he was “aware” of Derrick Rose’s rape lawsuit before the Bulls traded him. However, he didn’t feel the Knicks needed to investigate the suit.
Phil Jackson admits he was “aware” of Derrick Rose’s rape lawsuit before the Bulls traded him. However, he didn’t feel the Knicks needed to investigate the suit. (JULIE JACOBSON/AP)
“We men. You can assume (we’re having sex with the woman),” Rose said in the deposition right before he was traded to the Knicks. “Like we are leaving to go over someone’s house at 1 a.m., there’s nothing to talk about.”
Jackson admitted he never felt compelled to investigate the allegations into Rose — saying after acquiring the 27-year-old in June, “We are aware of it. Investigation is a big word.”
“I think (the Knicks) should’ve conducted that big word (and called me),” Anand said Wednesday. “I think I would’ve shown them the documents that were public, that were fair game, and I think it all speaks for itself. (Rose’s) testimony certainly revealed a lot. Just showing them the evidence that’s already out, they would’ve gotten a very clear idea about what actually happened.”
Jackson brushing aside the allegations runs counter to his reaction to the Kobe Bryant rape trial 13 years ago.
The Knicks president, who at the time was coaching Bryant with the Lakers, wrote in his memoir: “The Kobe incident triggered all my unprocessed anger and tainted my perception off him.”
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The anger stemmed from Jackson’s feelings of inadequacy in dealing with a sexual assault involving his own daughter, Brooke, who was the victim of an assault in college.
Brandon Anand, representing the alleged victim, says “Knicks should have done their own investigation” before Derrick Rose was traded.
Brandon Anand, representing the alleged victim, says “Knicks should have done their own investigation” before Derrick Rose was traded. (NATHANIEL S. BUTLER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)
Brooke ultimately decided not to press charges, but Jackson decided he hadn’t been strong enough in his support.
“Although I knew it was my professional responsibility to help Kobe through this ordeal, it was hard for me to shake my anger because of what had happened to Brooke,” Jackson wrote in his book, “Eleven Rings.”
There is still a chance the issue is settled out of court, which is the preference of the plaintiff and ultimately what happened in the Bryant case.
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“(Rose’s) camp is not really giving him the right advice,” said civil rights attorney and sports agent Waukeen McCoy, who is also representing the “Jane Doe” in the Rose case.
“He’s going to have to suffer the consequences at the end of the day.”
Courtesy: nydailynews.com
