By Lisa Black
Tribune reporter
3:44 p.m. CDT, July 8, 2014
Former Chicago Bull Rick Brunson used the name of a retired NBA superstar to book an appointment with a masseuse who he allegedly attempted to sexually assault at a Vernon Hills fitness center, according to a newly released police report.
Brunson was charged last month with attempted sexual assault and aggravated battery after an incident April 2 at Life Time Athletic center.
The employee at the fitness center had notified Brunson that she would stop giving him massages in 2013, due to a undisclosed prior problem with him, according to the heavily redacted Vernon Hills police report.
Brunson, 42, was arrested June 25 in connection with the latest incident, according to the police report obtained by the Tribune through an open records request.
He had formerly booked massages with the alleged victim 10-20 times over a three-year period “always using his name,” the police report stated. On April 2, “she was surprised to see Brunson when she walked into the massage room since the name in the appointment book was not Brunson’s but listed as
Patrick Ewing.”
Ewing had a long, decorated career with the New York Knicks and is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
According to the record, “Brunson admitted to her that he booked the massage under a different name. … (She) believed he used a fake name to book the massage because she had told him in 2013 that she would not massage him anymore. (She) reluctantly agreed to massage him since he was already there.”
The report states that he was already undressed at the time.
The woman complained to her manager several days later, prompting the human resources department to investigate, the report states. Life Time Athletic revoked Brunson’s club membership on April 9, according to police.
Brunson, contacted by phone this afternoon at his home in Vernon Hills, declined to comment.
“Brunson also admitted to booking his massage under an assumed name, but he indicated that this was a habit dating back to his professional basketball career,” according to a police interview with the fitness center’s human resources employee.
The employee described Brunson as “apologetic” and said he “expressed regret over the incident.”
Prior to April, the last time the alleged victim had given Brunson a massage was Aug. 21, 2013, the report states. The two had exchanged some text messages over the holidays in December, according to the document.
The report indicates that investigators were reviewing videotapes, interviewing other center employees, and seeking evidence from the alleged victim’s clothing.
Brunson played for eight teams during his nine-season NBA career and was an assistant coach for the Bulls, Nuggets and Bobcats.
He starred in college at Temple University and was set to be named an Owls assistant coach this month, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. He could not be immediately reached.
Jason Thunstrom, vice president for Life Time Fitness Inc. based near Minneapolis, has said the company will launch an internal investigation and cooperate with local authorities.
A Temple University spokesman recently declined to comment on Brunson’s arrest and whether he was a candidate for an open coaching position.
Brunson, released on $5,000 bond, or 10 percent of $50,000 is due in court Thursday.
lblack@tribune.com He could've at least gone with Anthony Bonner or someone lessor known.
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