The Toronto Raptors stand behind team president Masai Ujiri, who was sacked in February by Alameda County Sheriff’s deputy Alan Strickland, in a statement that attacked Ujiri Strickland on his way down to court to take Toronto’s win over the Warriors to Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals.
In a countersuit submitted by Ujiri on Tuesday, body camera footage was released showing that it appears the officer agreed to the exchange, and contradictory claims that Ujiri had violently attacked Strickland, claiming with what the first lawsuit claimed “Injury to his head, body, health, strength, nervous system, and person, all of which have caused and continue to cause Easter mental, emotional, psychological, physical, and nervous pain and suffering.”
“However, there is no objective evidence to support Mr Strickland’s alleged injuries and video evidence, including footage from Mr Strickland’s body camera, shows that Mr Strickland subjected Mr Ujiri to an unprovoked and unnecessary use of excessive force, “Ujiri’s lawyers wrote in the counter-attack.
Ujiri on Thursday released a statement of his own.
“The video unfortunately demonstrates how horribly I was treated last year by a law enforcement officer in the middle of my team, the Toronto Raptors, winning their first world championship. It was an exciting moment of achievement for our organization, for our players, for our city, for our country, and for me personally, saw my professional journey in the long run in the NBA.However, I was sadly reiterated at that moment that despite all my hard work and success, there are some people, including those who would protect us, who will always and only see me as something not worthy of respective involvement, and, there is only one disputed reason why that is the case – because I am black. “
The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office stood behind Strickland, as did Sgt. Ray Kelly says the newly released video does not change her position.
“There’s a piece of video published that doesn’t tell the story of the whole investigation,” Kelly said (c / o East Bay Times / George Kelly). “That story will have to come through the process. We stand by our original statements. ”
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The Toronto Raptors’ organization made a statement in support of Ujiri, and players for the Raptors spoke for their president as they competed in the 2020 NBA Playoffs out of the Orlando bubble.
“We believe this remains for the courts, but we have always maintained that the claims made against Masai are baseless and completely without merit,” the Raptors said in a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle. “We believe this evidence from the video shows just that – Masai was not an aggressor, but instead was the recipient of two very violent, unjust actions. The events of that evening threw a pall over what should have been a night of celebration. , and the year since.
“Although Masai has the full support of Raptors and MLSE because he fights this injustice, we are aware that not all people have similar support and resources. This is a false legal action that MLSE, the NBA, and especially Masai should not oppose. “
‘I mean, listen, for me it’s pretty self-explanatory. And disappointing, ”Raptors head coach Nick Nurse told reporters after Game 2 of Toronto’s first series against the Brooklyn Nets (h / t The Canadian Press).
‘I think it’s probably a night of great celebration for Masai ruins with the officer’s actions. I’m sure he still felt pretty good about the win and all that stuff, but it had to dampen that. I think it’s been a long time coming. It’s been over a year. So, it’s good to be getting a little closer. “
‘Of course we ride with Masai, and we all have his back and we had it from day 1, but it’s just crazy to see how things work and it’s sad, I think that’s why we’re all in a situation are and fight for social justice and equality, ”said Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet. ‘Because you see how fast things can get ugly just by the word of one or one bad head runner or a lot of bad cops.
Costs against Ujiri in October of 2019 were not covered by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
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