Boston Celtics guard Jabari Bird was arrested last week on charges of assault and kidnapping during what was described as a domestic incident. On Thursday, Bird appeared in court to be officially arraigned as more horrifying details of the incident were revealed.
Jared Weiss of The Athletic Boston obtained the criminal complaint against Bird that details what happened, including allegations that Bird strangled the woman “approximately a dozen times,” including causing her to lose consciousness at one point. The report also details the injuries the victim suffered, including cuts on her neck, bumps on her head, and more that were seen by an officer and confirmed by a doctor.
https://twitter.com/JaredWeissNBA/status/1040282949432864769
According to Tom Westerholm of MassLive, Bird will be held on $100,000 bond, with $50,000 needing to be paid in cash.
https://twitter.com/Tom_NBA/status/1040274740257193985
Bird will be allowed to travel with the Celtics, however, as long as that travel is court approved. The Celtics released a statement shortly after details came out regarding Bird and the ongoing investigation, noting they are “deeply disturbed” by the allegations and their thoughts are with the victim.
Statement from the Celtics regarding Jabari Bird: pic.twitter.com/VGqxqq5FYO
— Chris Grenham (@chrisgrenham) September 13, 2018
As noted in the statement, domestic violence allegations are handled by the league, not the team, so the NBA is investigating the matter and will be the one to hand down any punishment to Bird. Given the severity of the allegations, one would expect the league to, while doing their full due diligence, look to have a decision regarding Bird’s status with the NBA and Celtics prior to training camp.
