Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin responds to allegations of domestic violence
The Toronto Raptors and assistant coach Adrian Griffin responded to allegations of domestic violence from Griffin's former wife, Aubrey Griffin, on Thursday.
The allegations came via a tweet from Aubrey on Thursday morning following Griffin's first career NBA head coaching victory on Wednesday night.
In the social media post, Audrey said Griffin choked her, threw her into a wall, assaulted her while she was pregnant, abused their children, threw objects at her, and gave her sexually transmitted diseases.
Griffin is denying the allegations, according to a statement he released through the team on Thursday afternoon.
“This morning, accusations were made against me on social media by my former wife that I vehemently deny," Griffin said in the statement. "We are involved in a longstanding legal dispute over alimony and child support arrangements. I am disappointed to have to address false accusations in this way, and I apologize for any distraction this has potentially caused for our team at this important time.”
The Raptors said they met with Griffin today to discuss the allegations.
“When we saw these allegations this morning, we were dismayed — Adrian is a valuable member of our team. Our leadership immediately spoke with him, and he flatly denied the allegations in the posts. We will support the process as he and his former partner settle these matters," according to the statement.
The allegation was not the first time Audrey has used social media to accuse Griffin of assault.
On June 2, she tweeted that Griffin abused her and her children.
On May 20, she tweeted that she had been dragged while she was pregnant, dragged in front of her children, and choked nearly unconscious. She doesn't name Griffin in this tweet.
She also has previously said Griffin has not paid child support.
One of Griffin's sons, Alan Griffin, who plays basketball at Illinois, tweeted out support for his father after Griffin won his first NBA game as the Raptors' head coach on Wednesday.
Griffin was the Raptors' acting head coach on Wednesday night, leading the team to a 125-121 victory over the 76ers.
