According to NBC Bay Area, a Raptors team executive has been accused of pushing and striking an Alameda County sheriff's deputy in the face as he tried to make his way onto the court following the team's Game 6 championship win. Sheriff's officials that spoke to the outlet say that the deputy was denying access to the exec. because he lacked the proper credentials. Witnesses who spoke to NBC said the executive in question was Raptors president of basketball operations and former general manager Masai Ujiri.
Alameda County Sheriff's Deptartment spokesman, Sgt. Ray Kelly, said Ujiri shoved a deputy officer as he made his way to the court. When the deputy responded by pushing him away from the court, Ujiri gave him "second more significant push," striking his face with his arm.
Deputies have classified the incident as a misdemeanor battery on an officer. They are reportedly investigating the matter, as is the Oakland Police Department. Ujiri is not in custody, but officers say that they intend to submit the case to the local district attorney to see if charges are actually warranted.
"We are working with the Oakland Police Department to file a report and contact witnesses and review video" said Sgt. Ray Kelly.
Kelly later went on to recap the deputy's side of things to the San Francisco Chronicle.
“(The deputy) did not know who the man was and asked for the credential, and that’s when he tried to push past our deputy, and our deputy pushed him back, and there was another push that kind of moved up and struck our deputy in the face,” Kelly said. “At that point, several bystanders intervened and the executive did ultimately get back onto the court without displaying credentials.”
“It’s not like we were going to chase him down,” Kelly added. “He had a right to be there, but he didn’t follow the credential policy.”
The Raptors have since released a statement about the allegation: "The incident is being looked at, and we are cooperating with authorities. We look forward to resolving the situation."
Ujiri has been with the Raptors since 2013 (the same year he won Executive of the Year). Prior to that he was the GM of the Denver Nuggets. Additionally, and unsurprisingly, Toronto's success this season is expected to make him an extremely hot commodity when teams upgrade their front offices this offseason, according to ESPN:
