http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/basketball/magic/orl-givens0605sep06,0
,3104590.story?page=2&coll=orl-magic
Not so long ago, Jack "Goose" Givens seemed to be enjoying an enviable
life.
The one-time All-American basketball star at the University of Kentucky
had
parlayed his knowledge of the sport into a long-term job as the television
color analyst for the Magic. Some considered him the enduring face and
voice
of Orlando's NBA team.
But in June 2004, Givens' world changed. A 14-year-old girl he was
working
with to improve her basketball skills accused him of several sexual
attacks.
Today, Givens' case is expected to go to trial in Orange Circuit Court.
The attorneys involved in Givens' case were reluctant to speak openly
about
a trial expected to draw attention in and out of the professional
basketball
world.
Court records, however, reveal a girl who described the alleged offenses
in
great detail. They also show how Givens' defense team has questioned the
girl's credibility and her mental-health history.
During an April deposition, the girl spoke of a lengthy exchange of
"instant
messages" with Givens before the alleged attacks. They had developed an
online friendship, and he was expecting to help her work on her shooting.
"We talked about a lot of things -- basketball," the girl said. "We talked
about inappropriate things."
"Like what?" asked Givens' attorney Michael Snure.
"Things that a person my age shouldn't be talking about with a man his
age,"
she said.
During the deposition, the girl also said she had talked to others about
having sex with someone but later admitted it wasn't true.
"Why would you do that?" Snure asked.
"I don't know," she replied.
The girl was again asked what she discussed with Givens during their
chats.
"I already told you," she said. "Basically, all I talked about was
basketball and sex."
The questioning soon focused on the day of the alleged attacks at the
girl's
home.
Givens, 48, of Windermere is charged with three counts of sexual battery
and
one count of lewd or lascivious molestation. Earlier this summer, the
Magic
did not renew his contract.
Givens went to the girl's house to work on her game June 18, 2004. After
their half-hour training, both went for a swim in her pool, according to
court records.
Two attacks occurred in the water, according to the records and the girl's
statements.
At times during the deposition, she was embarrassed talking about the
incidents.
"How do you want me to explain it?" she said. "He did what a guy does to a
girl."
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