When was Karl Malone accused of statutory rape? Exploring his troublesome history
Karl Malone had a successful 19-year NBA career. While he was amazing on the floor, the Utah Jazz legend was not exactly a role model off it.
Shortly before he entered the professional basketball league, Malone played for Louisiana Tech University. In 1984, the talented basketball player allegedly impregnated a 13-year-old girl named Gloria Bell.
Bell's parents took Malone to court for a paternity case in 1986, during his rookie season. However, the basketball legend has never faced any charges for this. While his reputation has been impacted by this in hindsight, Malone has never had any trouble with the law regarding the mentioned incident.
Karl Malone never faced any legal trouble for impregnating an underage girl
During his time with Louisiana Tech, the 6-foot-9 power forward was one of the most talented young players in the country. He was great on both ends of the floor, which is why the Utah Jazz selected him with the 13th pick in the 1985 NBA draft.
Malone spent three years playing college basketball, averaging 18.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. He was also very efficient, converting 56.6% of his total field goal attempts.
During his final years in college, Malone allegedly impregnated Gloria Bell, a 13-year-old girl. While the basketball star was taken to court for a paternity lawsuit, he's never got in trouble with the law for having sexual activity with a minor.
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Gloria gave birth to Demetress Bell, who ended up becoming a professional football player. Bell was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL draft and played in the football league for five years.
Louisiana law regarding sexual activity with a minor
In Louisiana, statutory rape is defined as engaging in sexual acts with anyone who is under the age of 17. It is completely irrelevant if an underage person initiated sexual activity as the state doesn't consider that anyone under this age is capable of providing consent.
Statutory rape can be a misdemeanor or felony. However, considering the age gap between Karl Malone and Gloria Bell, the basketball Hall of Famer could have faced up to 10 years in prison.
Even a misdemeanor statutory rape can be penalized with up to six months in prison, which would've negatively impacted Malone's career. Considering the penalty Malone could have faced, the circumstances were quite tense as he refused to acknowledge his alleged son.
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Fast forward a few years, and the said is now NFL star Demetress Bell, who according to earlier reports, wasn't very close to his alleged father. However, Bell and Malone reconnected in 2014 and apparently became very close as per some sources in 2018.
Their relationship has reportedly been troublesome in its own right and and timeline, and you can read about it here: Has Karl Malone reconciled with estranged son Demetress Bell? Latest update about their complicated relationship
Despite these allegations, Karl Malone was selected to make an appearance at the NBA All-Star Weekend 2023 as a judge for the AT&T Dunk Contest, inviting the ire of various fans.