Nick Young And Jordan Clarkson Investigated In Sexual Harassment Case

Two members of the Los Angeles Lakers, small forward Nick Young and point guard Jordan Clarkson are being investigated by the team following a claim that the two players sexually harassed an elderly woman.

Lakers’ Young and Clarkson Investigated In Sexual Harassment Case

Alexis Jones, who is an activist spreading awareness about the existence of domestic violence, sexual harassment and sexual assault in sports, said a Jeep pulled up next to her car at an intersection and began making sexual gestures towards her mother.

She uploaded a still image from her recording of the incident on her Instagram, but has since taken in down.  The caption read, “I pray these pics go viral because THIS is the problem with little boys,” she said.  “Five minutes ago, at the intersection of Melrose and La [Brea] here in LA, a jeep of four boys pulled up at a red light and started yelling and making the most disgustingly vulgar gestures at my mom and me. I rarely ‘rant’ about things but this is the f%+#ing problem and the reason I’ve now dedicated my life to educating young men about respect, not just for women but for everyone. I’m angry. I’m insulted. I’m hurt. They were laughing hysterically until they realized I was filming them and immediately they panicked like the cowards they are.

“Thank you to all the real men out there who would never treat a mother and daughter that way… Speaking of, I’d love for this to make it back to their mothers!!! Help me find who these guys are!!! Let’s see the power of social media and hold them accountable. I’d LOVE to have a candid conversation with them about sexual harassment not simply to shame them, but to understand their mentality so we can better educate young men to be respectful in the future.”

It did not take long for Jones’ followers to identify the two men in the photo as Young, 30, and Clarkson, 23.

Jones said she has “inspired by how the Lakers have responded.”  Team spokesman John Black said the team is taking the matter “very seriously.” Jones said that Black called her around 8:30 on Monday morning to discuss the possibility of her coming to speak with the players, but she was unable to attend.  The Lakers also declined Jones’ request for the players to call her to issue an apology.

Jones said her mother was deeply affected by the incident, she told ESPN,  “She was super rattled. That’s the truth. It scared her,” Jones said. “We were in a small car, and they were in a big Jeep, and it was a bunch of big dudes. They’re leaning out of the car and making vulgar, sexual gestures. My mom was really shocked. That immediately turned into sobbing.”

She added, “The irony is I created a program called ‘ProtectHer’ out of the urgency to address sexual abuse in athletics, and I was on phone calls with the NBA as of Friday talking with them about integrating this message and this program into the NBA.”

The Lakers had no further on the matter and it remains to be seen whether or not Young and Clarkson will face discipline.  Clarkson is in his second year in the NBA and averages 15.5 points per game.  Young is in his third year with the Lakers and is averaging a career low 7.3 points per game.

Jones said she wants to use this case as a chance to spread awareness about sexual harassment in the sports world.  “I’m not special. This is happening to women everywhere.  I’m not here to shame them. That’s the last thing I want to do … I don’t want to crucify them. I want to use it as an opportunity to change behavior.”

Article by Nick Vigliotti