Warriors' Anthony Lamb accused of rape in civil lawsuit; team says it did 'due diligence' before signing him
Golden State Warriors forward Anthony Lamb has been accused of rape in a civil lawsuit filed against the University of Vermont by three former students, who allege that the school showed a "deliberate indifference" to "student-on-student harrassment and sexual assault." Lamb is not a defendant in the lawsuit.
The Warriors released a statement about the situation to SF Gate, a local newspaper, on Thursday:
"Anthony is not a defendant in this recent lawsuit and, to our knowledge, he has never been charged with any wrongdoing in any legal case. Prior to signing Anthony in September, we did our due diligence with the NBA and his prior teams, as we do with all players. If any new information comes to light, we will certainly evaluate it and act accordingly."
That statement echoes what general manager Bob Myers said during a press conference on Oct. 16 when the Warriors signed Lamb to a two-way contract. At that time, there had been anonymous allegations against Lamb on social media.
"We checked with the NBA, we checked with the two teams that had prior signed him and didn't hear anything as far as official charges or anything like that," Myers said. "It's tough because we take that very seriously."
In the lawsuit, Kendall Ware, a former swimmer at Vermont, accused Lamb of raping her at an off-campus party. Ware reported the rape, along with two other incidents involving Lamb, to the school's Title IX office, but alleges her complaints were mishandled. Ware had previously spoken publicly about her experience, though at the time had not publicly named Lamb.
"I was continuously misinformed and I truly don't think UVM — the athletic department specifically — wanted me to do the formal investigation because he would've been found responsible," Ware said in an interview on Oct. 3. "I was 19. It's not something you are expecting to navigate at that age, especially when people who are supposed to be protecting you and having your best interests at heart aren't doing that and are giving you the wrong information over and over again."
Lamb played at Vermont from 2016-2020 before going undrafted. He spent time with the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, along with numerous G League affilliates, before joining the Warriors this season.
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