A fan is suing Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards, alleging battery and assault over a postgame incident at Amway Center in Orlando last month.
The suit was filed by Kyler Briffa of Orange County, Fla., Tuesday in Florida's 9th Circuit Court. Briffa is seeking damages of at least $50,000.
Following the Wizards' 122-112 road loss against the Magic on March 21, the suit alleges that Beal was walking to the visitors' locker room and hit Briffa on the side of the head, knocking Briffa's hat off, after hearing a comment from Briffa's friend about losing a bet. The Orlando Police Department's case report from the incident said Briffa's friend said, "You made me lose $1,300, you f***."
The suit alleges that Beal confronted Briffa and said, "When you disrespect me, I'm going to press you about it. Do you think this is a joke, do you think this is a joke, do you think this is a joke, do you think this is a joke … because when I press you about it, what are we doing? What are we doing? What are we doing?"
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Beal addressed the incident after the regular season ended, citing an uptick in gambling-related comments from fans.
"Nobody wants to lose money. I get it. If you keep it about sports, I'm all for it," Beal said at the Wizards' end-of-season availability. "But I think it's when people start getting personal, talking about your family, talking about your character, your integrity towards the game. I think all of that, we can save it. We can really keep those comments to ourselves."
Capital One Arena, home to the Wizards and the NHL's Washington Capitals, became the first professional sports venue in the U.S. to open a sportsbook in May 2021.
