Clippers forward Blake Griffin published a very well-written piece for The Players’ Tribune this past weekend, publicly apologizing for the incident that occurred between him and Matias Testi last season.
The incident, in which Blake Griffin registered serious negative press and a broken hand that sidelined him for weeks, occurred in a Toronto restaurant. Griffin was dining with Matias Testi, then Clippers’ equipment manager, DeAndre Jordan and assistant athletic trainer Joe Resendez.
Griffin and Testi had a friendly relationship, and were known for teasing each other from time to time. Unfortunately, this particular case of teasing went too far, and led to Griffin striking Testi in the face multiple times.
Eight months after the incident, and Griffin is apologizing to Clippers fans, thanking them for sticking with him throughout the year:
I am truly sorry. What happened in Toronto was 100% my fault. I messed up.
There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about it. And I don’t mean that in some clichéd “not a day goes by” way.
I genuinely think about it every single day, and I just feel like I let down the fans who have been riding with us since the beginning.
If I took one positive from last season, it’s that there were a lot of people who were obviously disappointed in me, and who told me so, but who were still in my corner. I’ll never forget what those people did for me during a time when I literally had to turn off my phone to get away from it all.
Nearly one month after the incident, Griffin and Testi exchanged apologies and moved on. Testi would quit his job as equipment manager, and Griffin would later return after serving his suspension and recovering from his broken hand.
Griffin is now focused on the upcoming season, with the Clippers expected to once again be a prime contender. Their success will largely depend on how healthy they stay, with the team’s 2015-’16 campaign being foiled due to a rash of injuries.
The Clippers play their first regular season game on October 27th against the Portland Trail Blazers, the team that eliminated them in the postseason.
