-
Kendra AndrewsESPN
SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green publicly apologized Saturday and announced he will step away from the team for a few days after an altercation between him and teammate Jordan Poole.
“No. 1, I was wrong for my actions,” Green said. He added that he has apologized to Poole and Poole’s family.
“There’s a huge embarrassment that comes with [this],” Green said. “Not only for myself, as I was the one who committed the action … but the embarrassment that Jordan has to deal with and that this team has to deal with, this organization has to deal with. But also Jordan’s family. His family saw that video. His mother, his father saw that video. If my mother saw that video, I know how my mother would feel.”
Green initially apologized to Poole and the team on Thursday before practice, then immediately left the facilities and went home. General manager Bob Myers said he didn’t expect Green to miss any games, and coach Steve Kerr said Green would be back with the team for Saturday’s practice. But a leaked video of the incident between Green and Poole caused Green to take a different course of action.
The Warriors are planning on taking “every possible legal action” to find the source of the leak, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne. Golden State has also conferred with the league about steps to identify how the video got out, sources told ESPN.
Myers said the altercation stemmed from normal practice trash talk that escalated and didn’t have to do with the impending contract negotiations for Green and Poole.
Poole is eligible for a rookie extension, and his representation is in the process of negotiating with the Warriors. Both parties are using the Oct. 17 deadline as a driving force to reach a new deal.
Green has a player option waiting at the end of this season. If it is not picked up, Green will become a restricted free agent in 2024. Green has publicly stated that he doesn’t believe he and the Warriors will reach an agreement this year.