In May 2011, Dallas Mavericks owner and multi-billionaire Mark Cuban was accused of sexual assault, reports the Willamette Week. Now that this story has been unearthed, Cuban is denying it.
The woman claims that Cuban assaulted her outside of a nightclub; he allegedly stuck his hand down her pants and “penetrated her vagina with his finger,” while the two posed for a picture.
This story is being reported now for the first time, and Cuban quickly denied the claim, telling the Associated Press: “It didn’t happen.”
This allegation comes on the heels of a Sports Illustrated story outlining a culture of unchecked sexual assault that has run rampant in the Mavericks organization.
In response to that SI story, Cuban said: “I want to deal with this issue. I mean, this is, obviously there’s a problem in the Mavericks organization and we’ve got to fix it. That’s it. And we’re going to take every step. It’s not something we tolerate. I don’t want it. It’s not something that’s acceptable. I’m embarrassed, to be honest with you, that it happened under my ownership, and it needs to be fixed. Period. End of story.”
It remains to be seen whether Cuban’s alleged 2011 victim will respond to his denial.