World-renowned basketball trainer Rob McClanaghan was arrested in Rhode Island on Friday, according to Boston Police.
The famous NBA trainer who is known for training some of the greatest players in basketball right now such as LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant, was arrested for rape and drugging for intercourse charges.
is this ur greatest PG of all-time pic.twitter.com/jc7XgYEq6W
— ♣️ (@FireyJaire) November 21, 2022
Why Was NBA Trainer Rob McClanaghan Arrested?
“Officials said in a statement that McClanaghan, 43, of Warwick, R.I., was arrested in an operation executed by the Boston Police Sexual Assault Unit, Boston Police Fugitive Unit and Warwick Police Department in East Greenwich. Police said the incident McClanaghan is charged in occurred in downtown Boston.”
Upon being arrested on Friday, he spent the night in holding at the Warwick Police Department in Rhode Island before being transported to the correctional facility in Cranston, Rhode Island, where he spent all of Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, he appeared in Rhode Island’s Third District Court, where he did not contest extradition, according to ESPN.
McClanaghan is currently being held without bail.
According to msn.com:
“The NBA skills trainer met with the victim inside a hotel bar on Thursday, Nov. 3,” Assistant District Attorney Erin Murphy said.
Video surveillance obtained by investigators shows McClanaghan retrieving something from his pants pocket before sprinkling something over the top of the victim’s drink. The footage also shows McClanaghan and the victim entering an elevator and exiting on the floor of the victim’s room in the hotel, officials said.
According to ESPN, Warwick Police Department said it’s “highly likely” that McClanaghan will be in Boston Police custody by Tuesday “at the latest.”
Boston Police and Suffolk County District Attorney’s office did not comment, as they have to wait until McClanaghan is arraigned in Massachusetts. Boston Police did, however, release a news announcement as part of his arrest, “advising the public of the dangerousness of scentless, colorless, and tasteless drugs such as Rohypnol, also known as roofie, being placed in the drinks of unsuspecting victims.”
Who Is NBA Trainer Rob McClanaghan?
McClanaghan is a world-class NBA trainer, and he previously worked with current Boston Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazulla at Bishop Hendricken High School. He was a physical education teacher, and an assistant coach for the boys’ basketball team in Warwick, according to The Globe. He also worked with Mazulla when he was a freshman in 2003, according to Boston.com.
The Boston Celtics issued a statement clarifying that McClanaghan is not employed by them.
McClanaghan is known by all of the NBA as a top-tier trainer to the stars, having trained the aforementioned LeBron James, Curry, and Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook among others. His website also claims that he is “the premier skills development trainer for top players in the NBA.”
NBA Trainer Charged With Drugging & Sexually Assaulting Women
In light of these recent charges against McClanaghan, who’s accused of slipping women “mickeys” into their drinks, it’s a shame how we see a lot of talented individuals carry demons that lead to a fall from grace.
McClanaghan, who is most likely going to spend time in jail, detailed his ongoing battle with suicidal depression and anxiety in an article in the Player’s Tribune in 2021. Maybe all of these mental health issues finally caught up to him. Or maybe it was his conscience eating away at him as he led a double life.
Players like Curry and other NBA aficionados such as Adrian Wojnarowski co-signed and showed support for McClanaghan and his training service in the past, before his recent arrest. They’ll definitely be disassociating themselves with the former trainer as this shocking news makes its rounds within the media and league circles.
