Zion Williamson Gets Support From Pelicans Owner Gayle Benson, President Joe Dumars Amidst Assault Allegations

Zion Williamson Gets Support From Pelicans Owner Gayle Benson, President Joe Dumars Amidst Assault Allegations

Zion Williamson (Image by FirstSportz)

There are many NBA teams that would be forgiven for moving on from Zion Williamson by this point. The former No. 1 overall pick has had a career littered with issues of all sorts, hampering his play. Williamson’s off-court issues, including a recent lawsuit alleging r**e and abuse, have drawn scrutiny. However, Joe Dumars and Gayle Benson seem to have his back during this time when he needs support.

The lawsuit against Williamson alleges a pattern of abuse and two specific instances of rape in 2020. The accuser, who has remained unnamed in the lawsuit, alleged that Zion Williamson had been in a relationship with her, on and off, for an extended period of time starting from his freshman year at Duke until June 2023. His legal team has vehemently denied these accusations, issuing a statement after the lawsuit went public.

Gayle Benson, the owner of the Pelicans, has responded to the lawsuit, denying the claims made against Williamson. Speaking about the matter briefly on Tuesday, June 3rd, the 78-year-old team owner was defensive of her franchise star while addressing the allegations against him.

You know, lawsuits are lawsuits. I mean you really can’t, you know…people can sue you for anything, there’s no, there’s no reason, you can be innocent or not, so it’s just something that people do unfortunately.

Benson’s statement would be a strategic move to address the public and the fanbase. The severity of the allegations and their potential impact on the team’s image made it imperative for her to speak out. However, the Pelicans’ owner has also been involved in the past with a cover-up of New Orleans priests associated with her NFL team, the Saints. There isn’t a lot of public trust in her words and her motivations.

Nonetheless, the support would dictate how the rest of the league views Williamson. It would also be a way for Benson to preserve his trade value, in the event that he does linked to a trade away from Louisiana.

Joe Dumars throws his weight behind Zion Williamson as well

The New Orleans Pelicans, led by new executive VP Joe Dumars, are doubling down on Zion Williamson as their franchise star. With him having already missed 258 regular-season games since 2019 and all playoff games they’ve played, they already have a good enough reason to try and shop him to other NBA teams. However, Dumars believes that he has a franchise superstar with Finals MVP potential on his team.

The Pelican’s new President of Basketball operations gave the following statement today:

I’ve had really good conversations with Zion. We’ve had lunch. Dinner. Watched playoff games together. We’ve done it all. I’ve had some real honest conversations with him. Some real direct and honest conversations. We’re going to go forward with Zion. He’s going to continue to be a focal point here as we go forward.

Dumars also revealed that the decision to send Williamson to the draft lottery was an indication of his faith.

I sent him to the lottery for a reason. I want him to start focusing on the responsibilities of being the best player here and the focal point. There are some responsibilities that come with that. Go represent your organization.

Williamson will enter the 2025 season in a make-or-break situation based on all that has transpired in the past few years.

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