After a violent fight with teammate Jordan Poole during Wednesday’s practice, it’s evident that Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green crossed the line. The 32-year-old Green is notorious among the Warriors for his fiery, passionate personality, which has resulted in multiple mid-game verbal spats with teammates that have been recorded on video.
But on Wednesday, he went too far when things became violent, and now he has to pay the price. The forward officially apologized for hitting teammate Jordan Poole in the face on Wednesday at a news conference on Saturday afternoon. Green, who did not participate in Thursday or Friday’s team practices, apologized for his behavior, saying he “failed as a leader.”
After the event, Green also said that he would be taking some time away from the squad. On Thursday, Warriors general manager Bob Myers addressed the public about the incident, saying that disciplinary action against Green will be decided internally. Green’s choice to step away from basketball is mysterious since it’s not apparent whether he acted alone or if the team as a whole was on board with the concept.
Draymond Green on taking leave of absence
“I’m going to take a few days, or, I don’t know how many days. But just take some time to myself, allow our team to start their healing process, but take some time to myself, get deep in my thoughts and do things that I have to do to continue to work on me.
“I’m going to continue to stay away, as I’ve been away. And, you know, continue to do work on myself, as I always like to do. But also just to give guys space. It’s a big deal. It’s not like you just kind of keep on pushing. The reality is there is no right or wrong time. … But in saying that, I do want to give my team their space, I want to give Jordan some space. But also just take a few days, or whatever that is, and just continue to work on myself and think about the things I need to think about, and really just take some time to let everything breathe.”
