Some of the Toronto Raptors' celebratory mood was dashed by a post-game incident between Masai Ujiri, the organization's president, and a sheriff's deputy. In the aftermath of the altercation, it appears the latter may be prepping for a legal battle.
Katie Nielsen of KPIX 5 has learned the law enforcement official has hired civil rights attorney David Mastagni, who says, "No options are being ruled out as to how to rectify the situation." The officer is weighing his options and may file a suit against Ujiri, the Toronto Raptors, and the NBA.
The deputy claims to have gotten involved in a shoving match with Ujiri after asking him to provide credentials to validate his identification. After being met with retaliation, the officer claims claims to have been struck in the face by the Raptors exec, which ultimately resulted in a concussion and a jaw injury.
Mastagni believes the brief physical altercation ended with "an unprovoked significant hit to the jaw of the law enforcement officer" who hasn't been able to go back to work after suffering from "a serious concussion, a templar mandibular joint injury—which is a serious jaw injury."
On Saturday, Greg Wiener, a season ticket holder for the Warriors, came forward and said Ujiri never hit the officer. Moreover, Wiener says the Raptors Prez was never asked to provide credentials validating his identification.
Celebrity jeweler Ben Baller, who tweeted and deleted about the incident right after it happened, called the situation "insane" and said the deputy is lying. On Tuesday Baller responded to a reporter’s inquiry on Twitter, saying “if I have to defend Masai in court then damn, I guess I will because that cop is crazy and lying his ass off."
