In a bombshell development, former Los Angeles Clippers trainer Randy Shelton is reportedly making plans to sue the organization for “wrongful termination.” He also claims that Clippers star, Kawhi Leonard, was subject to unsafe and illegal treatment at the hands of the team’s medical staff.
“Former Los Angeles Clippers trainer Randy Shelton is suing the franchise for wrongful termination, among other things, after he claims he was fired after complaining that Kawhi Leonard was being subjected to unsafe and illegal treatment for injuries,” wrote Chris Haynes on X.
Leonard, 33 has been absent for the Clippers with a nagging knee injury that’s followed him since last season. The last anyone heard, he was taking the time to heal and no return date had been set for his return.
The allegations, if true, would put the situation in a whole new light for the Clippers and it would be reminiscent of Kawhi’s departure from the Spurs in 2018. According to the team, however, the allegations are false.
“Mr. Shelton’s claims were investigated and found to be without merit. We honored Mr. Shelton’s employment contract and paid him in full,” wrote the Clippers in a statement. “This lawsuit is a belated attempt to shake down the Clippers based on accusations that Mr. Shelton should know are false.”
Kawhi has an extensive injury history and his tenure with the Los Angeles Clippers has been plagued with poor health and precautionary load management. Still, according to Mr. Shelton, it’s not enough to qualify as giving the players the treatment they deserve.
“We hope that our client’s lawsuit will serve as a wakeup call to the Clippers organization that their players are not just dollar values, but are humans requiring proper – and not hastened – health and recovery treatment for the careers and lives afterwards,” wrote one of Shelton’s attorneys, John David.
It remains to be seen how the case will be handled but it’s clear that there is some kind of dissent happening within the Clippers organization.
According to Randy Shelton, it’s the team that is guilty of choosing to compromise the health and safety of their own player in order to rush him into games. The same thing happened with the Spurs and when they disagreed on how to handle his recovery, Leonard forced his way out and severed all ties with the organization.
This time, there aren’t any signs that Leonard is going to pull that stunt again but there could be problems if they can’t agree on a treatment plan to get him back on the court on his own terms.
The 12-year NBA veteran, who averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game on 52.5% shooting last season, is one of the best players in the world when healthy, and his status as a 2x champion is proof that he can deliver in the playoffs.
But unless he can make himself more available for his team, he may never reach those heights again and the Clippers will always be held back from their true potential. To keep it all together, it’s imperative that the Clippers find a way to appease their star and treat him fairly while also making meaningful progress on the road to recovery.
Without Kawhi, the Clippers have no hope to compete for the title and that’s especially true now after Paul George’s departure.
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