Rick Brunson, former Temple star, resigns from NBA assistant job after allegations surface

Rick Brunson, former Temple star and father of Villanova's Jalen Brunson, resigned from his assistant coach position with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.

The Athletic reported that Brunson has been accused of "improper interactions" with women, and a source told ESPN one of the women is a member of the media.

The Athletic reported the Timberwolves had interviewed two women about incidents with Brunson before the most recent issue, which occurred during the playoffs. A woman filed a complaint with the team about Brunson's "unwanted advances," according to The Athletic.

"Our entire organization – made up of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Minnesota Lynx and Iowa Wolves — is deeply committed to creating a safe work environment for our employees, partners and fans," the Timberwolves' organization said in a statement released Tuesday. "Our teams strive to have our actions reflect our values each and every day. We work to maintain high standards of conduct and expect our staff to lead by example. We did not believe Mr. Brunson's conduct was consistent with those standards."

Brunson's attorney Alan Milstein, based in New Jersey, gave an interview to the New York Daily News, saying "there have been no findings of any wrongdoing by Rick as any proper investigation by the Timberwolves would have shown."

Brunson, 45, played at Temple in the early 1990s and then spent nine years playing professionally. He entered the coaching ranks in 2007 with the Denver Nuggets and spent time on the staffs of the Chicago Bulls and the Charlotte Bobcats before he joined the Timberwolves in 2016.

In 2014, Brunson was set to join Fran Dunphy's staff at Temple before he was arrested and charged with aggravated battery and criminal sexual assault. He was acquitted of those charges in 2015.

Jalen Brunson was in the midst of deciding where he'd play in college when the allegations broke. Temple was among his top choices but he opted for Villanova, where he became the consensus national player of the year and a two-time NCAA champion. He decided last month to enter the NBA draft, ending his college eligibility.