Atlanta Hawks small forward Thabo Sefolosha addressed the media Tuesday for the first time since his arrest in New York last week. After suffering a broken fibula and torn ligaments as a result of the incident, Sefolosha is blaming police for ending his season.
Sefolosha released the following statement:
I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude to my family and friends, the Hawks organization and my teammates. This has been a difficult time for me and I truly appreciate the support I have received from everyone. I am extremely disappointed that I will not be able to join my teammates on the court during the playoffs and apologize to them for any distraction this incident has caused. I will be cheering for them every step of the way and will be diligent in my rehabilitation.
On advice of counsel, I hope you can appreciate that I cannot discuss the facts of the case. Those questions will be answered by my attorney in a court of law. I will simply say that I am in great pain, have experienced a significant injury and that the injury was caused by the police.
Sefolosha added that he didn't want to go into the details of what happened, but did say that the video speaks for itself. He also said that he has not been contacted by commissioner Adam Silver.
Sefolosha's ankle was allegedly broken while New York City police officers attempted to subdue him following an altercation outside 1 OAK nightclub. He was charged with resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and disorderly conduct.
The run-in occurred after Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland was stabbed outside the same nightclub.
Hawks center Pero Antic was also arrested at the scene and charged with obstructing governmental administration, menacing and disorderly conduct.
