On Saturday, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid shoved reporter Marcus Hayes in the locker room. While some might have expected the 76ers to back Embiid, Hayes told Gina Mizell of The Inquirer that both president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and GM Elton Brand apologized to him and termed the actions unacceptable.
“Hayes said he was escorted to a meeting with Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and general manager Elton Brand. Hayes said Morey and Brand ‘apologized for the incident, expressed regret that it happened, and asked me for my version of events. … They agreed that Embiid’s actions were unacceptable.'”
It was initially reported that Embiid had punched Hayes, who works for The Inquirer, following a back-and-forth, but it was later clarified that he shoved him. Mizell, however, mentioned here that the seven-time All-Star struck and shoved the reporter, with his open hand making contact with the neck and collarbone area.
Hayes referring to Embiid’s late brother and son in a not-so-ideal manner, to say the least, in a column is what got that reaction out of him. Here is what was written.
Man, look. If you write this, you gotta be accountable to the player. This isn't talking about what Joel Embiid is doing on the court. This is ridiculous.
Is it worth getting physical with the dude? IDK, I want way more details on how this whole thing escalated. pic.twitter.com/lIXkwNrIk8
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) November 3, 2024
Hayes was called out by many once the piece came out and removed that portion, but the damage was done. Embiid was outraged and rightfully so. While I understand the 30-year-old’s anger over this, you can’t really justify the shove.
I am not surprised that Morey and Brand considered what Embiid did to be unacceptable and felt the need to apologize to Hayes. I am sure they found what he wrote to be distasteful too, but violence can never be an acceptable response in any situation along these lines.
The NBA announced it had opened an investigation into this situation on Saturday. A day later, the 76ers confirmed they are fully cooperating with the investigation and we now wait to see if any sort of punishment does get handed out. The Inquirer might also be considering taking some action against Embiid, with editor and senior vice president Gabriel Escobar releasing the following statement.
“Marcus is an experienced and accomplished columnist who offers sharp and illuminating commentary grounded in his observations. You are free to disagree with what he says, but a physical assault is unwarranted and untenable and we are taking this matter very seriously.”
As I said, any form of assault cannot be tolerated. I would like to think Embiid regrets what he did too, but he is said to have sent a very ominous message to Hayes.
“The next time you bring up my dead brother and my son again, you are going to see what I’m going to do to you and I’m going to have to… live with the consequences.”
I think Hayes has learned his lesson and won’t go down that route again. I certainly hope this matter doesn’t escalate in the future.
This incident took place after a game against the Memphis Grizzlies, which the 76ers lost 124-107 to drop to 1-4 on the season. Embiid’s absence is a big reason behind the poor start, with the big man yet to step out on the court in 2024-25. He will miss their next game against the Phoenix Suns as well, but a return shouldn’t be too far away at this point.
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