Matt Barnes reportedly attacked Derek Fisher, who’s dating Barnes estranged wife, Gloria Govan. Barnes then reportedly texted a friend to brag about beating up the Knicks coach and spitting in Govan’s face.
Both reports were written by the New York Post.
How does Barnes, a Grizzlies forward, view the incident now?
Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times:
Matt Barnes on Derek Fisher: "We're 2 grown men who should have handled 2 grown men's business, but he wanted to run and tell the cops & NBA
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) November 9, 2015
Matt Barnes: "The New York Post is run by the New York Knicks, so it's obviously a way of trying to make me look like the bad guy."
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) November 9, 2015
There are a few problems here:
1. It became impossible for Barnes and Fisher to handle this issue like grown men when Barnes allegedly drove to the house and fought Fisher.
2. If Barnes attacked Fisher, reporting a crime isn’t problematic.
3. The NBA reportedly didn’t know about the incident until a few days later. If he told on Barnes to the league, Fisher didn’t do a good job of it.
Fisher might not have handled this well. Dating a friend‘s ex is messy, and maybe Fisher could have done more to handle it like a grown man initially.
But there has been no evidence to justify the violence allegedly levied against Fisher and Govan.
Barnes needs to explain more or look in the mirror – probably both.
