Green absence from Warriors 'mutual decision' after punch

SAN FRANCISCO: Draymond Green will be away from the defending champion Golden State Warriors indefinitely, which coach Steve Kerr called a “mutual decision” after the star forward violently punched teammate Jordan Poole in the face on Wednesday (Oct 5).

Green had been scheduled to rejoin the team for practice Saturday. He said he expects to play in Golden State's season-opener on Oct 18, but he is unsure of his status as well as how long he will be away.

Poole wasn't injured in the fight. Neither was Green, a fiery veteran part of Golden State's four championships since 2015-16.

Green did not get into specifics about what triggered the physical altercation, though he said he was already dealing with something hurtful that day before erupting and that it has nothing to do with either player’s unsettled contract situation.

He said he is giving Poole space after apologizing to everyone Thursday. Calling himself “a very flawed human being,” Green said he would use his leave of absence to work on ways to better deal with his emotions and wants to allow Poole and the Warriors to heal from the incident and focus on defending their title.

Green said he will take the challenge to “right the ship," which he said would not be an “easy process.”

“But I also look forward to continuing to better myself and my emotional state and how I deal with my emotions," he said. "I think that one thing that I lack is how to let emotions out.”

Kerr said there is “no set date” for when Green will be back and that it would be determined based on private discussions among everyone involved.

Video of the punch leaked to TMZ was published Friday. The footage shows Green approaching Poole near the baseline and them coming chest to chest. Poole used both hands