Boston Celtics shooting guard Jabari Bird is facing some legal trouble after being arrested on assault charges stemming from an incident on Friday night according to Cheryl Fiandaca of WBZ-TV.
BREAKING: Sources tell @CherylFiandaca #Celtics Shooting Guard Jabari Bird is under arrest & facing charges for an alleged assault in Brighton. Sources tell our I-Team he's now in custody at St. Elizabeth's Hospital.
BPD Domestic Violence Unit is involved. @wbz is LIVE until 8AM. pic.twitter.com/3ztJI7ALKR— Anaridis Rodriguez (@Anaridis) September 8, 2018
Bird is currently in custody at St. Elizabeth's hospital and the Boston Police Department's domestic violence unit is involved. The team released the following statement about the incident, via Jared Weiss of The Athletic:
“We are aware of the incident involving Jabari Bird and are taking it very seriously. We are actively gathering information and will reserve further comment at this time.”
Bird was selected with the 56th pick in the 2017 draft out of California and played last year under a two-way contract. He appeared in 13 games, averaging three points and 1.5 rebounds. In July, Bird signed a two year contract with the Celtics that includes the first year being fully-guaranteed. He had an impressive Summer League in Las Vegas averaging 16.8 points while shooting 57 percent from the floor.
With the arrest, who knows what the team will decide to do with him. According to the Cindy Boren of the Washington Post, the NBA has the right to investigate domestic violence chargers whether a player is convicted in the court of law or not.
“Under the CBA, the NBA has the power to investigate domestic violence incidents and to punish players, subject to challenge from the players’ union, regardless of whether criminal charges have been resolved. It also emphasizes prevention, with counseling, seminars and a 24-7 hotline. A policy committee of NBA and union representatives as well as independent experts is to supervise players who have been subject to discipline or convicted. The commissioner also has the power to place players on paid leave while an investigation is underway.”
Bird already has a tall order in front of him as he hopes to crack Boston's regular rotation. Unfortunately, this is a distraction no one saw coming.
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