Celtics' Davis expects to be sidelined 6-8 weeks
Boston Celtics forward Glen Davis(notes) told Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday that he will be sidelined six to eight weeks after breaking his right thumb while trying to protect himself from a friend who slugged him while driving.
Davis said the incident happened early Sunday morning when Davis’ girlfriend, Jenna Gomez, one of her girlfriends and one of his high school friends were returning to his home after celebrating Gomez’s birthday. Davis said he and his high school friend got into a heated debate over some “personal issues,” and the friend, who was driving their vehicle, threw a punch at Davis. Davis retaliated by throwing a punch back that broke his hand.
Davis underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair the thumb at a Boston suburban hospital.
“I was defending myself,” Davis said in a phone interview with Yahoo! Sports. “I wasn’t just fighting. I feel like I let my team down by breaking my hand. I let my team down trying to defend myself. I have to make better decisions on how I choose my friends.”
Davis wouldn't divulge his friend's name, but a police report obtained by the Boston Herald listed him as Shawn Bridgewater, one of Davis' former high school teammates. According to the report, Bridgewater emerged from the car with a bloody nose and fat lip and appeared drunk. Neither Davis nor Gomez were intoxicated, the report said.
Davis was adamant that nobody in the car was inebriated at the time of the incident. He said the fight didn’t escalate further after the group pulled over to the side of the road. Davis’ friend flew back from Boston to Louisiana later Sunday.
The Celtics open the season Tuesday night in Cleveland. Davis plans to be at the Celtics’ practice facility in Waltham, Mass., on Wednesday and will apologize to his teammates for the incident. Teammates Eddie House(notes), Rasheed Wallace(notes), Tony Allen(notes) and J.R. Giddens(notes) have all sent text messages to check on him.
The Celtics re-signed Davis this summer to a two-year contract worth $6.3 million. The Boston Globe reported that owner Wyc Grousbeck is considering suspending Davis for his actions.
"Wyc has been on the warpath for two days over this,” a league source told Yahoo! Sports. “They want to get money back from him."
The team has been hurting financially, the source said, and Grousbeck sees this as an opportunity to recoup some of Davis’ salary.
“I don’t want to comment on that,” Davis said. “I haven’t spoken to them about that.”
