{"id":118306,"date":"2024-10-25T19:13:45","date_gmt":"2024-10-25T12:13:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=118306"},"modified":"2024-10-25T19:13:45","modified_gmt":"2024-10-25T12:13:45","slug":"former-clippers-trainer-sues-team-says-kawhi-leonard-subjected-to-illegal-medical-treatment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=118306","title":{"rendered":"Former Clippers trainer sues team, says Kawhi Leonard subjected to illegal medical treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>LOS ANGELES \u2014 A former trainer for the <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"90\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nba\/team\/clippers\/\">LA Clippers<\/a> filed a wrongful termination suit against the team, alleging he was fired for trying to stop what he said were unsafe and illegal medical treatments on oft-injured star <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"ZVBR9DRffqJpzLHV\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nba\/player\/kawhi-leonard-ZVBR9DRffqJpzLHV\/\">Kawhi Leonard<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In a suit filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court (Central District), Randy Shelton \u2014 who worked with Leonard at San Diego State where Shelton served as a strength and conditioning coach, and was with the Clippers training staff from 2019 to 2023 \u2014 said that Clippers disregarded Leonard\u2019s health and safety and known medical restrictions. The suit also accuses the Clippers of tampering with Leonard leading up to his free agency in 2019 and using Shelton\u2019s potential employment with the Clippers to incentivize Leonard to join the franchise while the forward was with the <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"72\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nba\/team\/raptors\/\">Toronto Raptors<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In the lawsuit, which names members of the Clippers front office led by president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, Shelton alleges the team met with him repeatedly and promised him a role within the organization. Shelton, who worked at San Diego State from 2010 to 2019, maintained a relationship with Leonard after he was drafted by the <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"86\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nba\/team\/spurs\/\">San Antonio Spurs<\/a> in 2011.<\/p>\n<p>Shelton would ultimately leave the school to be a performance specialist with the Clippers. The lawsuit alleges that not only did the Clippers pursue Leonard through Shelton while Leonard was in Toronto, but that the connection between the Clippers and Shelton began as early as 2017 when Leonard was entering his last season with the Spurs.<\/p>\n<p>Shelton is seeking unspecified monetary damages for lost wages, as well as non-specific monetary payments for mental and emotional stress from being fired.<\/p>\n<p>The Clippers denied Shelton\u2019s allegations in a statement, saying, \u201cMr. Shelton\u2019s claims were investigated and found to be without merit. We honored Mr. Shelton\u2019s employment contract and paid him in full. This lawsuit is a belated attempt to shake down the Clippers based on accusations that Mr. Shelton should know are false.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nba\/\">NBA<\/a> acknowledged the lawsuit Thursday, but offered no further comment.<\/p>\n<p>Shelton was renowned for working with Leonard in the offseasons, working specifically to strengthen Leonard\u2019s quad muscles. Leonard missed time due to a left quadriceps injury in the 2012-13 season and later was diagnosed with right quadriceps tendinopathy during the 2017-18 season \u2014 his final campaign with the Spurs in which Leonard appeared in only nine games.<\/p>\n<p>Toronto aggressively applied load management with Leonard, keeping him from playing both games of any back-to-back that season to ensure Leonard\u2019s quadriceps would stay healthy throughout the season.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5870963\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-5870963 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/10\/24185615\/GettyImages-1155108507-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/10\/24185615\/GettyImages-1155108507-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/10\/24185615\/GettyImages-1155108507-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/10\/24185615\/GettyImages-1155108507-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/10\/24185615\/GettyImages-1155108507-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/10\/24185615\/GettyImages-1155108507-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-credits\">\n<div class=\"inline-credits-container\">\n      <span class=\"table-cell-span\"\/><br \/>\n      <span class=\"credits-text\">Leonard with the Raptors during the NBA Finals in 2019. (Photo: Gregory Shamus \/ Getty Images)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Clippers adopted Toronto\u2019s back-to-back strategy in Leonard\u2019s first season in LA, but Leonard played in back-to-back contests following the Clippers\u2019 disappointing postseason in the 2020 bubble.<\/p>\n<p>Leonard\u2019s right knee issues came into greater focus starting in June 2021, when he suffered a partially torn right ACL. Leonard signed a four-year contract that offseason that included a player option in the 2024 offseason. While Leonard missed the entire 2021-22 season recovering from ACL surgery, the Clippers failed to survive the Play-In Tournament.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit alleges that the Clippers\u2019 strategy going into the 2022-23 season was for Leonard to play, and the two-time NBA Finals MVP participated fully in training camp while playing multiple preseason games. Leonard was held out of back-to-backs again, but he volunteered to come off of the bench for the opening week of the 2022-23 season. By Week 2, Leonard\u2019s surgically repaired knee flared up and he was out for 25 days. The lawsuit alleges that Leonard returned prematurely, and in the third game of his return, Leonard suffered a serious ankle injury that kept him out an additional two weeks.<\/p>\n<p>By the end of the season, Leonard participated in two sets of back-to-back contests, with the Clippers trying to stay out of the Play-In Tournament without injured star <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"kIIUTtsJtSpaZfu1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nba\/player\/paul-george-kIIUTtsJtSpaZfu1\/\">Paul George<\/a>. The Clippers clinched a playoff spot, but Leonard tore his right meniscus and missed the final three games of the postseason.<\/p>\n<p>Shelton was terminated the following offseason.<\/p>\n<p>The Clippers\u2019 approach to Leonard changed for the 2023-24 season, as Leonard played in back-to-back contests and in 68 of the team\u2019s first 74 games of the season. The only time Leonard missed were four games in late December due to a hip contusion, one game right before the All-Star break due to an adductor strain and one game in March for rest during a stretch of five games in seven days. Leonard also left a game in March due to thoracic spasms, though he played the following game in Chicago.<\/p>\n<p>But Leonard\u2019s right knee flared up in April, and he missed the final eight games of the regular season and only appeared in Game 2 and 3 of the Western Conference quarterfinals. Leonard underwent a procedure in May to address right knee inflammation and was cleared to participate at Team USA training camp in July, but he was later replaced on the national team by <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"71\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nba\/team\/celtics\/\">Boston Celtics<\/a> guard <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"btl33fruaaNWhIrW\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nba\/player\/derrick-white-btl33fruaaNWhIrW\/\">Derrick White<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Before training camp, the Clippers announced Leonard would be held out of drills to strengthen his knee, with Frank saying the swelling is \u201calmost gone.\u201d Coach Tyronn Lue said a month later that Leonard had another flare-up after leaving the national team.<\/p>\n<p>Lue clarified that Leonard has not had a setback since the Clippers began camp, and Leonard is week to week while he continues to prepare for a season in which he hopes to finish healthy for the first time since 2020.<\/p>\n<h2>Required reading<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><em>(Photo: Ronald Martinez \/ Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5870732\/2024\/10\/24\/clippers-lawsuit-trainer-kawhi-leonard\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LOS ANGELES \u2014 A former trainer for the LA Clippers filed a wrongful termination suit against the team, alleging he was fired for trying to stop what he said were &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=118306\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-118306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=118306"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118306\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=118306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=118306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=118306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}