New Orleans Pelicans owner Gayle Benson publicly addressed the rape and abuse allegations against Zion Williamson for the first time on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference focused on the Super Bowl’s economic impact on New Orleans, Benson was asked directly about the lawsuit filed against the 24-year-old forward.
“You know, lawsuits are lawsuits,” Benson said. “I mean you really can’t—you don’t know. I mean, people can sue you for anything. There’s no reason—you can be innocent or not. So it’s just something that people do, unfortunately.”
The civil lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles by an unnamed woman identified as Jane Doe.
She accuses Williamson of raping her multiple times, as well as engaging in physical, emotional, and financial abuse throughout a five-year relationship from 2018 to 2023.
The 46-page complaint includes allegations of strangulation, gun threats, and drug use, with incidents reportedly taking place in several states.
Williamson’s attorneys issued a firm denial, calling the claims “categorically false and reckless.”
His legal team described the suit as a financially motivated “extortion attempt,” stating that Doe has already cycled through multiple attorneys and that the two shared a “casual, consensual relationship” that ended years ago.
They also confirmed Williamson intends to file counterclaims seeking substantial damages and has already alerted law enforcement.
The timing of the lawsuit adds further uncertainty to Williamson’s future in New Orleans, as the franchise finished the 2024–25 season at 21–61—second-worst in the Western Conference.
Despite strong production in limited games—24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists—Williamson missed over half the season with a hamstring strain and a back injury.
Now entering the third year of a five-year, $197 million extension, the former No. 1 overall pick’s trade value has plummeted amid mounting off-court scrutiny and durability concerns.
League executives told In The N.O. podcast host Shamit Dua that any deal involving Williamson would likely return “bad contracts and likely no picks.”
Williamson remains under contract through 2028, though much of his deal is non-guaranteed due to injury provisions.
