The attorney for Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards said his client plans to defend himself against what he called "baseless" charges of third-degree assault stemming from an incident after the team's Game 5 loss at Ball Arena in Denver on Tuesday night.
Denver police cited Edwards with two counts of third-degree assault after police claimed Edwards "swung" a chair as he exited the floor for the locker room and injured two female employees. A police spokesperson said those injuries are not serious.
On Thursday, Edwards' attorney Harvey Steinberg released a statement through Edwards' agency, Klutch Sports, that disputed the police's description of events as Edwards exited the floor after missing the potential game-tying shot at the buzzer.
"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. As video of the incident confirms, Anthony did not swing the chair at anyone and of course did not intend to hurt anyone," Steinberg said in the statement. "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."
Edwards is due to appear in court June 9 in Denver, according to the citation. Third-degree assault in Colorado is a Class 1 misdemeanor, and a conviction could result in jail time and a fine of up to $1,000.
The team held its season-ending exit interviews Thursday in which several players spoke along with President Tim Connelly and coach Chris Finch. Edwards was not one of the players who spoke.
"No comment on it," Connelly said. "I was right there. Don't know what happened, so I'm not really going to speak on it."
Finch also declined to comment on the incident.
