Last night, we found out that the Lakers were investigating allegations against both Nick Young and Jordan Clarkson after activist Alexis Jones claimed the pair were two of the four men who sexually harassed her and her mother at a traffic light in Hollywood. Jones is an author and co-founder of I Am That Girl, a nonprofit that is, among other things, "[T]rying to stop athletes from committing sexual harassment, sexual abuse and domestic violence." She made the accusation through a post on her Instagram account, which she hoped would go viral (it's hard to argue it didn't):
She also fired off a tweet to the team:
"We’ve looked into the situation and spoken to Alexis Jones as well as to Nick Young and Jordan Clarkson. Based on these conversations, our conclusion is that there are different interpretations of what happened. We support Nick and Jordan and believe what they told us about the incident and their actions. We also are supportive of Alexis and her feelings about what happened, about women’s rights, and of the fine work Alexis is doing with her organization. I had several conversations with Alexis and her publicist, and tried to arrange a meeting between her, Nick and Jordan. Unfortunately, Alexis’s schedule didn’t allow for this to happen yesterday. We will also continue to stay in touch with her about the possibility of addressing our team about the important issues with which she’s involved.”
Today a spokesman for the Lakers, John Black, said in a statement that the charges were the result of "different interpretations" by both the players and Jones. You can read the entire statement here:
As of now it appears the matter is closed? Maybe? If there's anything further to update you on we'll let you know.
[via NBA.com, @MissAlexisJones, ESPN]
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