Blake Griffin Comments on Punching Incident in Letter to Clippers Fans

Blake Griffin is ready to return to action following a turbulent 2015-16 season, and he penned a letter to Los Angeles Clippers fans Friday that included an apology for the events that consumed his rocky campaign.

In a post on the Players' Tribune, Griffin took responsibility for punching former Clippers equipment staffer Matias Testi at a Toronto restaurant in January. The altercation resulted in a fractured hand for Griffin, who was later suspended four games by the Clippers.

Griffin wrote:

"

I am truly sorry. What happened in Toronto was 100% my fault. I messed up.

There's not a day that goes by that I don’t think about it. And I don't mean that in some cliched "not a day goes by" way.

I genuinely think about it every single day, and I just feel like I let down the fans who have been riding with us since the beginning.

"

Griffin, who was also plagued by a quad injury last season, appeared in just 35 regular-season games before the Portland Trail Blazers bounced the Clippers from the playoffs in the first round.

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But with a clean slate in front of him, the five-time All-Star remained optimistic that L.A. can compete for Western Conference superiority.

"We're the same core group that beat the defending-champion Spurs in seven games just 17 months ago," Griffin wrote. "I know 17 months seems like forever, especially in NBA time, but we know how small the margins are between winning and losing, and how quickly the narratives around teams can change."

To Griffin's point, the Clippers still wield one of the NBA's most talented, star-studded foundations. Beyond the multifaceted power forward, head coach Doc Rivers can roll out Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, DeAndre Jordan, Luc Mbah a Moute and Jamal Crawford in various capacities to form imposing five-man units.

While the Clippers weren't at full strength often last season, they posted gaudy numbers when their full complement of contributors was healthy.

To wit: Rivers' lineup featuring Paul, Redick, Mbah a Moute, Griffin and Jordan outscored opponents by 19.4 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com.

Then there's Griffin's production, which sits on one of the NBA's most unique planes.

The 27-year-old posted averages of 21.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists last season. The only other player who topped at least 21 points, eight boards and four dimes on a nightly basis was Kevin Durant.

Now re-energized and ready to lead the Clippers to new heights, Griffin sounds motivated to make up for lost time:

"

When you're fighting to stay alive every single night with your teammates, going through the highest of highs and lowest of lows, it's the most exciting feeling in the world. Just being in the trenches together, going into buildings where everybody is rooting against you. It's why you play the game.

Not being able to experience that roller coaster last season was a wake-up call for me.

"