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New Video of Jahlil Okafor Fighting Outside Boston Bar Surfaces
December 2, 2015
One week after it released a video that showed Philadelphia 76ers rookie center Jahlil Okafor scuffling outside a Boston bar, TMZ Sports posted a second video Wednesday featuring Okafor fighting from that same night.
In the new video, a man is shown laid out on the sidewalk, and according to TMZ, a witness said Okafor "hit the guy with a haymaker":
The Rookie of the Year candidate was involved in a verbal and physical altercation in the initial video as well after the Sixers lost to the Boston Celtics the night before Thanksgiving:
Although ESPN.com initially reported Boston police did not plan to investigate the matter, TMZ has since reported that officials believe charges will likely be filed.
"We're always interested in resolving any matter prior to ligation," the victim's lawyer, Michelle Newton, told TMZ. "Should we be unable to reach an agreement [with Jahlil], civil litigation is the only available option."
Per ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman, sources said the fights stemmed from Okafor getting heckled due to the 76ers' winless record at the time.
The 19-year-old former Duke star later expressed regret for the manner in which he reacted, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
"It was definitely dumb on my part," he said. "It's something that I am embarrassed about."
Okafor then apologized in a series of tweets Sunday:
I hold myself to a higher standard than anyone else ever could and I'm not proud of some of my decisions over the last few months. I own my choices both personally and now publicly. At this point I am cooperating and respecting the process I have to go through. Going forward I don't want to be a distraction for my team and am grateful for the support and guidance those close to me are giving. I am 100% focused on my responsibility to the League, my teammates and fans.
Okafor has undoubtedly been the best player for the one-win Sixers, as he leads the team with 17.2 points per game and is second with 8.1 rebounds per game.
Philly has already struggled mightily this season with Okafor, and the Sixers announced later Wednesday they were suspending him for two games for the incident, per NBA.com's John Schuhmann.
With little quality depth behind Okafor in the form of Richaun Holmes and Christian Wood, they certainly can't afford to be without him.
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