Willie Reed Suspended for 6 Games

Detroit Pistons center Willie Reed has been suspended for 6 games by the NBA because of a domestic violence incident.

Willie Reed will be suspended without pay due to the incident, which occured on August 5.

He was arrested as a result and charged with misdemeanour battery after an argument with his wife in their Miami home.

Then still a Clippers player, Reed entered into a pretrial diversion program on October 16 to resolve the criminal charge.

According an NBA statement on Tuesday, the league conducted its own investigation into the incident. The statement said it “consulted with a group of domestic violence experts who provide the league with guidance in such cases.”

The National Basketball Players Association has filed a grievance with the league, saying the six-game ban “is excessive and inappropriate.”

Conflict

According to the Police report, Willie Reed dragged his wife across their apartment. He also pulled her hair and grabbed her by the wrist while wrestling for a purse.

His wife later released a statement contradicting these claims:

“This incident has been totally blown out of proportion,” Jasmine Reed said in a statement, via the Los Angeles Times. “I did not call the police and I did not ask anyone to call the police on my behalf.

“Willie is a good man and a great father. I have no intention of pressing charges and I have asked the authorities to immediately dismiss charges against Willie.”

Reed signed for Detroit on January 29. He was a part of the trade that saw Blake Griffin join the Pistons from the Los Angeles Clippers. The 6-foot-11, 245-pound Reed is averaging 4.6 points, 2.8 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per game this season. Solid numbers, however, Reed will begin serving his suspension with Wednesday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets at Little Caesars Arena.

The former Miami heat player and his wife, Jasmine, have two children together.