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Ex-Rocket Charged With Indecency With A Child

sears3820

Sitting around in my underwear....
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1771421



HOUSTON (AP) _ Former Houston Rockets star Calvin Murphy was charged Monday with three counts of aggravated sexual assault and three counts of indecency with a child, all allegations that involve his children, prosecutors said.

Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal said his office has notified other jurisdictions about the charges as an investigation into Murphy continues.

"He has a number of families around the country, according to our research," Rosenthal said.

Murphy surrendered at the Harris County Sheriff's Department annex, next to the county jail, shortly after 6 p.m. He left around 7:30 p.m. after posting a $90,000 bond. Murphy had no comment as he left the jail.

Murphy's attorney, Rusty Hardin, said his client insists the charges are "absolutely not true."

"We believe [the alleged incidents of abuse] did not happen and Calvin is absolutely insistent they did not happen," Hardin said. "Once these allegations are made, no one ever fully recovers. No matter what a jury says, he will always be branded with this."

Murphy, a television analyst for the Houston Rockets, was a star guard for the franchise from 1970 to 1983. The Hall of Fame sharpshooter, who at 5-foot-9 was known as the "Pocket Rocket," shot 89 percent on his free throws during his career and averaged 18 points a game.

The Rockets said in a statement that Murphy asked for and received a leave of absence from his broadcasting duties.

The alleged indecency occurred in Harris County over a period of several years, Rosenthal said. The charges involved five girls under 17 and the alleged conduct occurred between May 1988 and April 1991, according to the Harris County district clerk's office.

According to an affidavit by Drew Carter of the Texas Rangers, the five daughters said Murphy either fondled them, performed oral sex or both.

Hardin would not discuss specific details about the charges against Murphy, only saying that he and prosecutors disagree on the facts of the case.

Murphy has been aware of the investigation for two weeks after one of the daughters told him that authorities had contacted her about the allegations of abuse, Hardin said. Hardin said he didn't know how the investigation began.

Hardin said the daughter has insisted to Murphy's attorneys that nothing happened, but apparently is telling the state something different.

Murphy was not interviewed by investigators, but Hardin said he provided to authorities witnesses, both children and adults, who insisted the alleged actions never happened.

Murphy was a high school star at Norwalk, Conn., before moving on to little Niagara University, where he was a two-time consensus All-America and led the school to a 22-7 record and an NCAA tournament berth in 1970.

He was drafted in the second round that year by the San Diego Rockets, who moved to Houston the following year, and quickly became a fan favorite despite playing on several bad teams. His 17,949 points were a franchise high until Hakeem Olajuwon passed him.

Murphy missed just nine free throws -- and made 78 straight in one stretch -- in 1980-81 for a record single-season percentage of .958.

He was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 and his number hangs retired in the Toyota Center rafters.
 
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