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Draymond Green made his first official statements to the media after punching Jordan Poole during practice on Wednesday. Green apologized to Poole and announced he’ll be stepping away from the Golden State Warriors indefinitely.
Green says he has apologized to Jordan Poole and Poole's family.
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) October 8, 2022
"There's a huge embarrassment that comes from (the video) not only for myself ... but the embarrassment that Jordan has to deal with ... and also Jordan's family."
Green was very apologetic, not blaming Poole at all, and joining teammates and executives in denying that the altercation had anything to do with Poole’s impending contract extension. However, one could also interpret this as, “Sorry I embarrassed your whole family.”
Green hasn’t interacted with Poole since the incident, and it doesn’t sound like Poole has been particularly receptive to his apologies yet.
Green has said several times that he has not had interactions with Poole since the altercation. Green doesn't know how he is feeling, or how his apology landed.
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) October 8, 2022
"I want to give Jordan space ... I didn't get much from Jordan, I didn't expect much, and I didn't try to get much."
Its not clear how long Draymond will be stepping away from the team to focus on himself, or if he’ll be playing in the season opener on October 18th. But like most of the team, coaches, and executives, Green isn’t blaming Poole at all - only himself.
Green re-establishes that the altercation with Poole did not stem from impending contract negotiations. Green says he has been dealing with some events in his personal life that shortened his temper.
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) October 8, 2022
"I needed to have a better feel for myself and where my wicks end was."
Of course, the Warriors are still unhappy with the video leaking at all, though they didn’t provide an update to their manhunt to find the culprit. Coach Steve Kerr compared it to a “family dispute.”
Steve Kerr on the leaked video of Green and Poole: "It's like if you had a camera in your family and there was a family dispute. Would you really want to discuss it with the world? No."
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) October 8, 2022
"In 32 years, I've probably seen 20-plus fights. It should not make it out of our walls."
Draymond also took issue with the editing of the video. Look, he’s a media expert, which is also why he didn’t wait until his podcast to address the fight video. That would have been, as the kids say, “a bad look.”
Green says that when he first watched the leaked video, the incident looked worse than he thought it was. He said the way the video was cut (no lead up, no audio) was to make the altercation look awful.
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) October 8, 2022
He adds: "But what I did was wrong, regardless of the video leaking."
So in conclusion: Draymond Gren, stepping away. Podcast, on hiatus. Jordan Poole, not thrilled. Steve Kerr, witness to at least 20 practice fistfights. Warriors season opener, ten days away. Strap in, fans!
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