Jabari Bird is in a whole lot of trouble.
The young Celtics guard was arrested Friday night in Brighton, Massachusetts. As of this morning, he was in custody at St. Elizabeth’s hospital. The matters appear to be very serious- the Domestic Violence Unit of the BPD became involved in the situation. Charges against Bird include assault, strangulation and kidnapping. There’s no doubt that this is going to be a sticky situation for the 24-year-old. While allegations against athletes are always hairy, this certainly does not look good for Jabari Bird.
BREAKING: Sources tell @CherylFiandaca #Celtics Shooting Guard Jabari Bird is under arrest & facing charges for an alleged assault in Brighton. Sources tell our I-Team he's now in custody at St. Elizabeth's Hospital.
BPD Domestic Violence Unit is involved. @wbz is LIVE until 8AM. pic.twitter.com/3ztJI7ALKR— Anaridis Rodriguez (@Anaridis) September 8, 2018
The Boston Celtics released a statement regarding the matter on Saturday morning. It read, “We are aware of the incident involving Jabari Bird and are taking it very seriously. We are actively gathering information and will reserve further comment at this time.” It was a pretty standard statement for this type of situation, but it’s clear that Boston is on top of the situation.
What it Means
After the Summer League concluded, many fans had high hopes for Jabari Bird. He appeared to intrigue the Celtics as well, as the team inked him to a contract in late July. Bird, 24, spent last season as a two-way player, moving between Boston and the G-League affiliate Maine Red Claws. The NBA Summer League in Las Vegas is where he really stood out, though. He averaged team-highs in both points and rebounds, gathering 18.6 PPG and 6.0 RPG.
Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images
Though Bird wasn’t expected to play very much at all this season, fans were still excited about him. After this arrest, however, his future with the team becomes far more cloudy. According to sources, the Celtics aren’t expected to make any roster move regarding him on Saturday, but if the Celtics’ findings reflect poorly on the guard, there’s a good chance he’ll be swiftly shown the door. Seeing as he’s not likely to contribute to the team much, the Celtics won’t hesitate to cut Bird the second they decide that the allegations carry weight.
Fans will now play the waiting game to see if more information will trickle out throughout Saturday afternoon and over the weekend. Hopefully Bird is innocent and the allegations are false, but it certainly doesn’t seem that way. If true, there’s no place for someone like that on the Celtics.