Chicago Bulls star, Derrick Rose. PHOTO/AFP
LOS ANGELES, August 25- Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose strenuously denied “meritless” claims that he raped an ex-girlfriend, saying the accusation was just an attempt to make money.
In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday the unnamed woman said she was gang-raped by Rose and two others after the group attended a party at a Beverly Hills home in August 2013.
The woman accused the men of placing a drug in her drink and later raping her when she was in an “incapacitated state of consciousness.”
“This is nothing more than a desperate attempt to shake down a highly respected and successful athlete,” said a statement issued on Rose’s behalf by lawyer Lisa Cohen.
“Mr. Rose was in a non-exclusive, consensual sexual relationship with the plaintiff for over two years.
“The plaintiff expressed no complaints about Mr. Rose until various lawyers began to surface and demand that the plaintiff be paid millions of dollars. This is the third lawyer the plaintiff has retained in this matter.
“Two years have passed since Mr. Rose ended the consensual relationship with the plaintiff and her claims are as meritless now as they were two years ago.”
Separately, the Bulls issued a statement saying they were still gathering information.
“We just learned about this matter and do not know all the facts,” the team said. “It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”
Rose, 26, missed much of last season with a right knee injury. He averaged 17.7 points, 4.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 51 games.
Over the previous two seasons, he only played a combined 49 games due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in April 2012 and a torn medial meniscus in his right knee in November 2013.
