Police report: Gerald Green punched man, got handcuffed before hospitalization
admitted to a Miami hospital on Nov. 4, Miami Heat swingman Gerald Green walked with bloody hands to the front desk of the condo where he lives, asked a clerk stationed there to call paramedics, walked outside, passed out, recovered, re-entered the building, punched a man in the right eye and was handcuffed by authorities, according to a police incident report.
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Green, 29, was termed “safe and healthy” by Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra the day after his admission, and was released from the hospital three days later. The club suspended Green for two games on Tuesday for “conduct detrimental to the team.” Heat team president Pat Riley declined to elaborate further on Tuesday.
“I think the release and the statement pretty much says what it says — conduct detrimental to the team,” Riley told reporters, according to Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald. “And other than that it’s a personal matter. It doesn’t need to be discussed.”
While Riley and the Heat have kept things close to the vest, the police report fleshes out prior reports that, while no arrests were made, Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue had been called to Green’s residence to deal with a “combative patient,” and that Green had been both bleeding and unconscious prior to his hospitalization. From Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:
Green is referred to in the incident report as an “agitated patient” who at one point during the incident was “restrained and handcuffed.” Also, a witness, according to the report, “noticed blood from Mr. Green hands.”
At one point during the incident, the report states, “Mr. Green attempted to make [his] way up to his unit. When Victim #1 tried to hold Mr. Green in the lobby area for fire rescue, Mr. Green punched the victim in the right eye.”
According to the report, “Fire rescue had the patient restrained due to the patient becoming very loud and verbally combative. Fire rescue requested that the Sgt. handcuff the patient.”
The report continued, “An assault unit (3214) was contacted. Victim #1 stated that he did not wish to [press] charges against Mr. Green.”
While the incident report offers more clarity as to what precipitated Green’s hospitalization and suspension, several questions remain, as noted by Navarro and Chuck Rabin of the Herald:
A source said a member of the Heat organization treated Green for dehydration on Nov. 3 at his condo. That night, Green missed his first game of the season with what the Heat referred to as an illness.
But it’s still unclear why Green passed out to begin with or why his hands were bloodied when he arrived at the lobby of his condo and asked the front desk to call paramedics. Those are questions Green will likely be asked the next time he speaks with reporters sometime this weekend.
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Green is eligible to return from his two-game suspension after Miami’s Thursday night meeting with the Utah Jazz.
“I want to apologize to my family, fans and the Heat organization,” Green said in a statement released Tuesday by the team. “I accept the suspension and look forward to rejoining my teammates this weekend.”
Green is expected to return to the team Friday. The Heat won’t play again until Tuesday, welcoming the Minnesota Timberwolves to AmericanAirlines Arena.
Green has played for eight teams in NBA seasons after the Boston Celtics selected him straight out of high school in the first round of the 2005 NBA draft, and spent the 2008-09 and 2009-10 campaigns playing in Russia and China. He joined the Heat this summer on a one-year contract for the veteran’s minimum. He’s averaging 10.3 points in 21.7 minutes per game in three appearances for Erik Spoelstra’s club, and Riley said Tuesday he expects that Green will continue to be part of Miami’s perimeter rotation moving forward.
“I just believe that we can [count on him],” Riley said. “I’ve been around this game for 48 years and he’s really a great kid, great athlete, can really shoot the ball. He’s explosive and we’re going to need him, and I think he’s going to show that to us.”
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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