15-time NBA All-Star Shaquille O'Neal is the subject of an assault investigation in Atlanta after an incident that his lawyer has deemed "horseplay" resulted in the injury of a co-worker last year.
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According to ESPN, the incident occurred on May 9 but wasn't brought to the attention of the police until July 2. The ESPN report states that a co-worker, named Robert Williams, at Turner Studios, for which O'Neal is an analyst, alleges that O'Neal "ran out of a room and hit me with a tackle punch to the back knocking me down and falling on top of me injuring my neck and back," the police report says.
Williams also said that Turner Security was made aware of the situation within a day of the incident.
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"The investigation was initially handled by the zone and as that investigation deepened, it was transferred [to] the complex case squad," Atlanta police Sgt. Greg Lyon said, according to WSB TV in Atlanta. "At the conclusion of their investigation, we'll have their findings and we'll go forth from there, whether charges will be filed, whether it [will] be reviewed by the DA's Office."
O'Neal's lawyer, Dennis Roach, sent a statement to the Atlanta ABC affiliate explaining that the incident "was nothing more than horseplay. No one intended for anyone to get injured," via ESPN.
Williams' attorney then responded to the statement alleging horseplay by saying it wasn't the two of them just goofing around.
"We understand that the physical attack by Shaquille O'Neal upon Mr. Robert Williams is under criminal investigation," Williams' attorney said in a statement to WSB, according to ESPN. "Mr. Williams is presently recovering after surgery. However, he does state, emphatically, that the permanent injuries he received were not the result of participation in any form of 'horseplay.' "
O'Neal, who spent 19 seasons in the NBA with the Lakers and five other teams, retired from the NBA in 2011 and now serves as an analyst. It remains to be seen what findings will come out after the investigation.
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