Allegations of sexual abuse levied against Kevin Johnson are no longer an isolated incident.
On a Monday night edition of HBO’s Real Sports, two women came forward with accusations of sexual misconduct directed at the mayor of Sacramento, California and former Phoenix Suns All-Star. These latest accounts, courtesy of Deadspin, come almost six months to the day after the website published an utterly disturbing story that detailed Johnson’s purported molestation of a 15-year-old girl.
Xian Thao and Amanda Thomas, two former students of Johnson’s charter school, St. HOPE, told Real Sports that three-time All-Star sexually harassed them after both women had graduated from the academy and assumed internships with his non-profit organization. They were 18 years old.
Both women describe incidents in which Johnson, unprovoked and without warning, touched his bare hand to their thighs. Like initial accuser Mandi Koba before her, Thomas didn’t speak out against Johnson for fear of retribution from he and other community leaders.
“We were so terrified of disappointing Mr. Johnson that we were just little lambs,” she says.
Thao, however, reported Johnson’s inappropriate behavior to a manager at St. HOPE. Days later, Johnson’s lawyer approached her “as a friend of Kevin Johnson’s” and advised against discussing the issue any further.
Later, Johnson made sure to clarify directly that Thao would no longer mention the incident. “We’re cool, right?” she says he asked her.
After Real Sports on Monday night, Johnson’s former campaign manager appeared on Sacramento’s local Fox affiliate and suggested that Deadspin paid Koba for her story, a claim the website vehemently denies. Apart from police recordings that shirk clear wrongdoing, Johnson has never commented on the allegations levied against him.
We’ll keep you updated on this story as further information becomes available.
(h/t Deadspin)
