Husband of singer Keyshia Cole, NBA free agent Daniel "Boobie" Gibson, turned himself into New Orleans police Monday for an alleged battery after he was accused of punching a person in a nightclub July 8 during the city's Essence Music Festival.
Gibson, who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, told Jack Shea of
WJW-TV in Cleveland in a brief phone interview Monday that he was protecting Cole and expected to be vindicated when the facts come out.
"It got to be where I felt I had to protect my wife and take care of my family," Gibson said. "That's why it went to the level that it did."
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The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported that Cole and Gibson were out after Cole finished performing at the festival. Citing court records, the Times-Picayune said as Cole walked by the accuser, the man thanked her for "keeping it real" during her performance.
The man told authorities moments later Gibson punched him in the jaw. The newspaper said bystanders restrained Gibson while the victim was taken to a local hospital, where doctors determined his jaw had been fractured.
TMZ.com reported that Gibson was booked on second-degree battery charges and released on bond. The other person involved in the incident has not been identified.
Gibson released a statement to the media yesterday, proclaiming his innocence and saying the situation was created by the other person involved, according to WJW-TV.
"Earlier this month during the Essence Music Festival, I was involved in an incident with
other individuals while I was out with my wife," Gibson said in the statement. "It’s unfortunate that some see opportunity in taking advantage of people who work hard for what they have achieved.
"In order to get the matter resolved, I voluntarily turned myself in to authorities in New Orleans. I live for two things: my family and the game of basketball. For my son and other kids who look up to me, I try to be a positive example. … Once all the facts of the incident come out, I expect to be fully vindicated," Gibson added in his statement.
Gibson played the last seven years with the Cleveland Cavaliers, most of those seasons next to LeBron James when the Cavs regularly made the playoffs and challenged for the NBA title. Cleveland did not renew his contract after this past season.
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