Blake Griffin’s recent injury has shaken up the league to some extents. After breaking his hand in an altercation with a Clippers’ equipment manager, Griffin has been in the news quite a bit. That has ranged from speculation to the details of the fight, as well as speculation on whether the Clippers would want to move on from him.
Meanwhile, the NBA is investigating the situation to gauge the need for a punishment. League commissioner Adam Silver spoke to USA Today Sports’ Sam Amick about the investigation:
“The only update right now is we’re continuing to investigate,” Silver told USA TODAY Sports by phone from his New York office. “There (are) a lot of people that we want to talk to, and ultimately ensure that we have as complete an understanding as possible as to exactly what happened.
“I’d say from the league’s standpoint, of course it’s the last thing that you want to see happen. And whether it’s in the NBA, or in any industry, you have one co-worker, in essence, punching another co-worker. That’s a terrible thing. Blake has acknowledged that. But at the same time, I know he recognizes that there are consequences of his actions.”
Clearly, this situation is a bad look for all involved, including the league. Any altercation is a bad image but when an athlete gets into a fight with a non-athlete who is a team employee, the situation is elevated to a more serious level.
The league will have plenty of time to conduct its investigation as Griffin will not be returning from his injury until at least late March. The power forward will likely see a small suspension added to his time on the sidelines.
