Earlier this week, lawyers for Raptors President Masai Ujiri responded to a lawsuit filed by Alameda County Sheriff’s Deputy Alan Strickland over an altercation at the 2019 NBA Finals.
On June 13, 2019, after the NBA Finals, Ujiri was violently confronted by Strickland for trying to enter a restricted area. Months later, Strickland sued the president, his team, and the NBA, claiming the incident left him with “permanent disability” after Ujiri allegedly tried to “storm the court” and hit him “in the face and chest with both fists.”
Strickland also filed a workers’ compensation claim, accusing Ujiri of having a “violent predisposition” after acting with “evil motive amounting to malice.”
But, as part of his response, Ujiri released video footage that contradicted Strickland’s claims, and instead proved Strickland to be the primary aggressor in the incident.
“There is, however, no objective evidence to support Mr. Strickland’s alleged injuries and video evidence, including footage from Mr. Strickland’s body camera, shows Mr. Strickland subjected Mr. Ujiri to an unprovoked and unnecessary use of excessive force,” the president’s lawyers wrote in the counterclaim.
But now, despite Strickland’s claims and video evidence, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office maintains that its Deputy was the victim in the incident.
“We 100 percent stand by [the] original statement that was released that Mr. Ujiri is the aggressor in the incident,” the office said. “Don’t be so quick to judge based off of what lawyers are saying.”
But apparently, this isn’t Strickland’s first dishonest rodeo. According to reports, Strickland was previously arrested and convicted for insurance fraud, which raised “questions about his integrity.” To make matters worse, the officer showed no signs of injury to support his claims against Ujiri.
“Sadly, Mr. Strickland’s dishonest account of the encounter is a narrative that has become somewhat familiar,” Ujiri’s legal team wrote in the counterclaim. “A law enforcement officer using their position engages in unjustified violence against a peaceful individual, then lies about the encounter by characterizing the victim as the aggressor. To be sure, the great majority of law enforcement officers do not conduct themselves this way. Mr. Strickland, however, has chosen dishonesty over integrity.”
