Detroit Pistons guard Avery Bradley allegedly reached a settlement with a women who accused him of sexual assault earlier this year. TMZ reported on Friday that the then-Boston Celtics player negotiated a payment related to sexual assault accusations against him stemming from an incident during this spring’s Eastern Conference Finals.
Bradley denies any wrongdoing through his legal team, which released a statement to TMZ in response to the allegations published on Friday.
The alleged incident happened in Cleveland during the Eastern Conference Finals, as Boston was in town to face the Cavaliers. According to TMZ, the incident occurred on May 23, and the woman alleges that Bradley sexually assaulted her while she was passed out drunk.
Bradley’s legal team issued a response to TMZ on Friday, claiming that they only agreed to a settlement to prevent false information from being made public. But TMZ notes the negotiations for payment were upwards of $400,000 before the two sides settled on an undisclosed amount.
After the incident, the woman contacted Bradley and accused him of assaulting her. The two sides came together to work out a deal to keep her quiet and prevent her from releasing any video, photos or audio.
At one point in the negotiations, the parties considered resolving the matter for $400,000 … but it’s unclear what number Bradley ultimately agreed to pay. We’re told the final figure was high.
Despite the negotiations and payout, Bradley’s team denies he did anything wrong.
“Mr. Bradley absolutely denies having engaged in wrongdoing whatsoever,” Brian Wolf, Bradley’s attorney, told TMZ. “The confidentiality agreement specifically refutes and denies the validity of all allegations of any wrongful conduct by Mr. Bradley. The sole purpose of the agreement was to protect the reputation and privacy of Mr. Bradley and his family.”
Bradley’s attorney also said the legal team would look into how the settlement was leaked to the public.
“My office will take all appropriate action against all persons involved in the wrongful disclosure of this agreement,’ Wolf said. “We will conduct a thorough investigation into who is responsible for this wrongful disclosure.”
