Dwight Howard Being Investigated for Child Abuse: Latest Details and Reaction

Reports from SI.com and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday confirm that a child abuse investigation involving Houston Rockets All-Star center Dwight Howard is being reopened.

TMZ Sports first reported the news early Tuesday that police in Cobb County, Georgia, are looking into the alleged child abuse.

According to TMZ Sports, the child's mother took him to the Florida Department of Children and Families in August "and complained [Howard] had whipped their 6-year-old son Braylon with a belt, leaving bruises and abrasions on his leg." In speaking with Florida authorities, Howard allegedly "confessed to the belting, but said he didn't realize there was anything wrong with it because he was disciplined the same way as a kid," per TMZ Sports.

According to TMZ Sports' reporting, the Florida Department of Children and Families did not have enough evidence to move forward with any legal action at first. 

However, the alleged abuse occurred in Georgia, and a doctor who examined Howard's son concluded that his injuries were "consistent with a medical diagnosis of physical abuse." That led to a revival of the case, according to both TMZ Sports and NBC Sports' Kurt Helin.

The Cobb County Police originally investigated the alleged child abuse in October, according to Helin, "but said they didn’t have enough evidence to proceed." Sgt. Dana Pierce of the Cobb County Police told Helin that new information had emerged within the past 48 hours that caused the police to reopen the case. 

It appears Howard's legal team is confident he will be cleared.

"The truth is on our side," said Howard's attorney to TMZ Sports.

Howard's attorney implied that the mother, Royce Reed, doesn't have any credibility with regard to her allegations, telling TMZ Sports that they are "baseless."