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‘He didn’t intend to hurt…': Anthony Edwards' lawyer on assault charges
As per a video that went viral on social media, Edwards while on the way out of the court, took out a chair and threw it near two Denver arena employees.
NBA star Anthony Edwards has been in hot water for his post-game actions during the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-112 defeat to Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. In a video that has gone viral, Edwards can be seen throwing a chair in the vicinity of two Denver arena employees who got injured.
Now Edwards’ legal team has promised to “vigorously defend” his client against third-degree assault charges.
Harvey Steinberg, Edwards’ attorney issued a statement criticising the Denver Police Department. Steinberg’s statement read: “With the game over, Anthony’s exit from the court was partially obstructed by a chair, which he moved and set down three steps later. As video of the incident confirms, Anthony did not swing the chair at anyone and of course did not intend to hurt anyone,” said Steinberg.
"Despite these innocent facts, the Denver Police Department inexplicably chose to charge Anthony with two counts of misdemeanor assault. Anthony intends to vigorously defend against these baseless charges," he added.
Denver police earlier said that injuries reported were not serious. Earlier, Timberwolves’ General Manager Tim Connelly and head coach Chris Finch had declined to comment on the incident.
Edwards’ post-game fracas has taken the spotlight off his on-field actions with the him scoring 158 points in the five games against Denver, the fifth-highest by a player under 22.
On Tuesday, Edwards missed a potential game-tying shot at the buzzer before the post-match actions dominated the conversation.
Meanwhile, Edwards is scheduled for a court appearance on June 9. Police have charged Edwards with two counts of third-degree assault. Each charge is a Class 1 misdemeanor carrying a maximum of 18 months in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000.
On the incident, Wolves statement read: “We are aware of the alleged incident regarding Anthony Edwards following Game 5 in Denver and are in the process of gathering more information. We have no further comment at this moment.”
