Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin spoke with the media for the first time yesterday since suffering a broken hand after repeatedly punching a member of the team's equipment staff, Matias Testi, and expressed his remorse while apologizing for the incident.
"It's something I think about every day and wish I could take it back," Griffin said, "and I've told Matias that. I have talked to Matias tons of times since the incident. He actually said it best: 'This stuff happens and we're like brothers and we just have to move on.' "
Griffin and Testi have developed a friendly relationship throughout Griffin's tenure with the Clippers, and repeatedly said that he was "truly, truly sorry" for what happened.
The apology appeared to be extremely sincere, but both of First Take's Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless were critical of the timing of the apology. Why didn't it come sooner?
The incident occurred last month and Griffin issued an apology on Twitter one day later, but hadn't made a public appearance until yesterday's practice. Smith called Griffin "sensative" and said he was "hiding" during the past three weeks, hoping the story would die down before talking to reporters about the incident.
Griffin suffered a broken hand from the fight, and there is no timetable for the return. The team has suspended him for four games after he is cleared to return, but the Clippers docked his pay for five games.
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