Sports
Derrick Rose Says Assault Charge is Providing Him with Motivation
Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose, center, drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova, right, and guard Michael Carter-Williams during the second half in Game 1 of the NBA basketball playoffs Saturday, April 18, 2015, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
CHICAGO (USA Today) — Derrick Rose was both unwavering and defiant on Monday afternoon when addressing the sexual assault allegations that clouded his offseason.
“I will be proven innocent, but at the same time, it hasn’t affected anything. It’s not true. I take it as motivation,” Rose said from the Bulls’ practice facility at their media day Monday. “I feel like the devil is just working. I feel like I’m on the right track as far as where I want to be at in my life. And I feel like when you’re that focused, people try to take you down. I’m very confident that I will be proven innocent.”
Rose, in his first extended remarks, responded to a civil lawsuit filed against him alleging that he and two friends gang-raped a woman in August 2013. The plaintiff’s suit claimed that the woman, known as Jane Doe in the court filings, was drugged at a party in Beverly Hills, Calif., and then sexually assaulted after they broke into her apartment.
Rose and his legal counsel have vehemently denied the accusations since the lawsuit was filed on August 28th. Bulls GM Gar Forman, who was largely evasive on the topic, offered his support for Rose on Monday.
