Young Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was cited for two counts of third-degree assault Wednesday after he angrily swung a chair on his way to the locker room following a season-ending Game 5 loss to the Denver Nuggets. He has been accused of harming two employees at the Ball Arena during the outburst.
“It was reported to Denver Police that while Edwards was walking from the court to the locker room at the conclusion of the game, he swung a folding chair and struck two women who were working at the time,” Denver police said in a statement.
Edwards, who missed a shot at the end of the game that could have tied it, was stepping into the tunnel when the incident occurred. His lawyer, Harvey Steinberg, offered a different account of events in a statement on his behalf.
“With the game over, Anthony’s exit from the court was partially obstructed by a chair, which he moved and set down three steps later,” Steinberg said. “As video of the incident confirms, Anthony did not swing the chair at anyone and of course did not intend to hurt anyone. Despite these innocent facts, the Denver Police Department inexplicably chose to charge Anthony with two counts of misdemeanor assault. Anthony intends to vigorously defend against these baseless charges.”
As Steinberg noted, the Denver Police Department chose to cite Edwards for two charges, alleging that he struck and harmed two employees with a chair. One of these employees was confirmed to be a security guard. As the Denver police mentioned in its statement, both were women.
Edwards was given a June 9 court date, at which point he will have to return to Denver for a hearing. If convicted, he could face up to 18 months in jail and a $1,000 fine for committing a Class 1 misdemeanor under Colorado law.
“We are aware of the alleged incident regarding Anthony Edwards following Game 5 in Denver and are in the process of gathering more information,” the Timberwolves said in a statement. “We have no further comment at this moment,”
