Jabari Bird sought treatment while struggling with emotional issues in the weeks prior to his arrest for kidnapping and assaulting his girlfriend on Sept. 8, the Boston Herald's Steve Bulpett reports.
"Panic attacks and things like that," a source close to Bird told Bulpett. "It wasn’t a long-term thing, but everyone knew. The (Boston) Celtics knew there was something going on and he was being treated."
Bird underwent a psychiatric evaluation from the time of his arrest until his court appearance last Thursday, where he pleaded not guilty to charges of domestic assault, strangulation, and kidnapping.
Bird is said to have assaulted the victim for four hours, strangled her multiple times causing her to lose consciousness, and repeatedly kicked her in the stomach, according to MassLive's Tom Westerholm.
"This wasn't one of the domestic-violence situations you usually see where someone gets jealous for one thing and loses control," another source said. "There was something deeper going on here with (Bird). This was a bad situation."
Authorities said Bird threatened to kill himself in a text message to his girlfriend if she didn't return to his apartment, according to Westerholm, who adds that the police report stated the victim saw Bird passed out and displaying "seizure-like symptoms."
Bird has since released a statement about his arrest, announcing he will take time away to deal with all legal and medical issues. He added he does "not condone violence against women."
