Greg Oden, a free agent NBA player, was arrested on Thursday in Indiana on charges of misdemeanor battery after allegedly punching his ex-girlfriend.
“He punched her in the face,” said a witness, who identified herself as the victim’s best friend, according to a police report. The incident occurred at around 3:30 a.m. at a house owned by Oden’s mother.
“Things got out of control and I started to go after the victim,” the report, which has redacted names, says Oden told police. “My relative] and witness tried to hold me back, but as I swung my arms to move them out of the way, then punched the victim in the face. I was wrong and I know what has to happen.”
The victim, 24, and Oden, 26, had dated for about two years, he told police, before breaking up nearly two months ago.
When officers arrived, they found the victim lying down and reportedly bleeding from “lacerations” around her nose and forehead. The report adds that police found blood on the floor and a sofa, as well as dirt on the ground from a flower pot that had been knocked over.
According to the report:
The victim went to an upstairs bedroom and laid across the bed crying and holding her face. EMS responded but the victim refused medical treatment. The witness entered the room stating “there isn’t that much love in the world; you need to tell that he punched you in the face”. The victim advised Officer Harris that she fell but was unable to advise when and where. The victim was very uncooperative. Officer Harris spoke with the relative who stated she was awaken by Gregory Oden and the victim arguing. The relative stated every time the two visit and go out, there is an argument to follow.
No charges have been filed yet against Oden, who was No. 1 draft pick in 2007 and most recently played with the Miami Heat. He was taken to an initial processing center for arrestees.
The NBA has not yet responded to the incident, among the latest in a recent string of pro-athlete arrests. The NFL recently came under fire for suspending Ray Rice, a running back with the Baltimore Ravens, for two games after he allegedly hit his wife to the point of knocking her unconscious—all caught on tape. And Robert Mathis of the Indianapolis Colts was suspended for four games for taking illegal fertility drugs in a bid to help his wife conceive.
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