Source: Michael Reaves / Getty
NBA star Bradley Beal is under police investigation for battery in Florida after he was involved in a confrontation with hecklers following the Washington Wizards game against the Orlando Magic last week.
TMZ first reported the investigation on Tuesday morning.
Beal, 29, allegedly knocked a heckling fan’s hat off their head after they suggested they lost money betting on the game.
The fan reportedly yelled: “You f—ed me [out of] $1,300, you f—!”
ESPN reported that it obtained police documents about the incident after the Wizards lost to the Magic 122-112 on March 21.
Beal, according to the report, turned around and walked toward a friend of the man who made the comment and swatted his right hand toward him, knocking the man’s hat off and contacting the left side of his head.
Police reviewed video footage of the altercation and heard Beal say this is his job and he takes it seriously, and the man is heard apologizing, implying he did not intend to offend him, according to the report.
The complaint states that “probable cause exists to charge Beal with simple battery” and that charges will be filed with the state attorney’s office. No charges had been filed as of Tuesday morning.
“We are aware of the report and in the process of gathering more information,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement.
TMZ provided a more R-rated version of what Beal reportedly said.
According to TMZ, Beal believed the comment was “disrespectful” and told the fan, “Keep it a buck. I don’t give a f-ck about none of your bets or your parlays, bro. That ain’t why I play the game.”
One of the fans involved provided video footage of the incident to police. According to the report, the video shows the fan who was hit telling Beal he was not the one who made the initial comment and is heard apologizing and claiming that he did not intend to offend the NBA star. The police report is redacted, so neither fan is identified.
The police report says probable cause exists to charge Beal with simple battery. If charges get filed, they will be done so by Florida’s State Attorney’s office.
This is the latest report about negative interactions NBA players are having with fans.
Most recently, embattled star point guard Kyrie Irving had NBA security remove a fan from a game for the same kind of perceived disrespect reported in Beal’s case.
“He just called me out my name, so I just had to make sure I looked him eye-to-eye, see if he would say it to my face,” Irving, of the Dallas Mavericks, told reporters after a loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. “A lot of fans say things when you’re turning your head or say it in the crowd cause they can get away with it, but, majority of the time if I could look a fan in the face and see if they really want to say that to me. So he yelled it, I handled it.”
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Fan Accuses NBA Star Bradley Beal Of Battery After Alleged Anger Over Bet, Police Investigating was originally published on woldcnews.com
