Celtics' Jabari Bird Accused of Strangling Girlfriend, Kicking Her in Stomach

Boston Celtics guard Jabari Bird was arraigned on charges of assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, strangulation and kidnapping Thursday.

According to Tom Westerholm‏ of MassLive, Bird is accused of strangling his girlfriend until she lost consciousness and kicking her in the stomach multiple times.

He is currently being held on $100,000 bail. Under conditions of the bail, Bird is not allowed to consume alcohol or drugs and cannot possess a weapon. Bird will be allowed to travel with the Celtics while the case is ongoing.

The Celtics released a statement saying they are "deeply disturbed" by the allegations: 

"Most importantly, our thoughts are with the victim of this incident. The Celtics organization deplores domestic violence of any kind, and we are deeply disturbed by the allegations against Jabari Bird. Pursuant to Domestic Violence Policy in the NBA's labor agreement, matters of this kind are handled by the League Office, not the team, and so the Celtics will be working with both the league and local authorities to assist in their ongoing investigations. The team will have no further comment at this time."

Bird later released a statement saying he was taking a leave of absence from the team, per Marc Spears of The Undefeated: 

An NBA spokesman called the allegations "disturbing," and noted the league was conducting its own investigation, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Bird, 24, was placed in St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Boston following his arrest, per CBS Boston.

Bird's representative disputed the allegations, according to CBS Boston, but did not present Bird's account of the events. 

Bird signed a two-year contract with the Celtics this offseason. The 2017 second-round pick played in 13 games with the team as a rookie, splitting his time between the Celtics and the G League.