Iona's Roland Griffin Says He Was Dismissed After Punching Coach in Self-Defense

Senior forward Roland Griffin was dismissed from the Iona basketball program Wednesday after allegedly getting into a physical altercation with assistant coach Ricky Johns.

According to Stadium's Jeff Goodman, Griffin said he punched Johns in self-defense after the coach grabbed him in the locker room:

"We got in each other's face. It was really heated. He eventually grabbed me by the jacket and tried to throw me down on the ground physically. We were against the locker, wrestling against the locker. He was grabbing me and holding me.

"He tried to wrestle me down, and I ended up on top. I'm not going to let another man physically do that to me. I punched him four or five times, then I stopped."

Griffin said the altercation happened Monday after Johns told him to go to study hall and began yelling at him even though he wasn't scheduled for study hall that day.

Griffin told Goodman he was temporarily suspended Monday before a hearing Tuesday. On Wednesday, he was suspended from the school through May 31, 2020, and he is not eligible to return to the basketball team when his suspension ends.

Johns reportedly spent eight hours in the hospital following the altercation and was treated for a head injury. Johns said Griffin started the altercation, according to Goodman.

Iona has not taken any action against Johns.

Last season was Griffin's first at Iona after he played at Illinois State and Midland College, and he made a significant impact by averaging 11.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.

The 6'7", 215-pound Aurora, Illinois, native helped lead the Gaels to the NCAA tournament. They lost 89-67 to the Duke Blue Devils in the first round.

Griffin was Iona's third-leading scorer last season, and he was expected to be a significant contributor for a team looking to win its fourth consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament.