Grant Williams explains flagrant foul on Jayson Tatum that led to ejection
Williams was ejected after running into Tatum at full speed.
Hornets forward Grant Williams told reporters that the flagrant foul on Jayson Tatum at the end of Boston’s win over Charlotte Friday night was not intentional.
Tatum was bringing the ball up the court when Williams ran into him at full speed. Tatum popped right up and went to the free-throw line after being knocked to the floor by the blow.
The referees whistled Williams for a Flagrant Two foul.
“I think at the time of the game, that’s probably what stressed the Flagrant Two,” Williams said in a video posted by CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning. “It was a transition opportunity and I was trying to make a play on the ball. I did reach across his body and probably when you slow down the replay it looks like I kind of make a play and just kind of go after it.”
“JT is one of my closest friends in the league, there was no intentional trying to harm him in any way. It was just one of those plays where fast, full speed, he passes the ball which probably makes it worse. When I reached for the ball after the fact the ball is already out of his hand. I don’t think it leads to anything if it’s not escalated after the fact. You see me raise my hand, say I fouled him trying to take the foul in transition, got held up by teammates and walked away.”
Williams said he didn’t think any of the Celtics really believed that he was up to anything malicious.
“You don’t see anybody running up to me, Neemias, D-White, none of those guys,” Williams said. “JB was frustrated because you don’t want to hurt your teammate and stuff like that and I understand that but there was nothing in my mind that was difficult or intentional.”
Both White and Brown called the play “BS” after the game. White said Williams is too big to be doing things like that. Brown said he thought Williams and Tatum were friends before implying that they might not be after that foul.
Williams said Brown asked him “that’s what we doing?” after the play.
“He knows me too well and stuff like that. It’s just a hard foul. We play them again tomorrow. It’s nothing crazy or beyond the means. We all know JT is my guy, so nothing intentional.”
Williams said he did not have a chance to talk to Tatum about the incident before he was ejected. He said he plans to reach out to the Celtics star.
“He got up quick and and by the time he got up there was a fracas and they brought us to our benches so there was no way for me to talk to him in between. I’ll talk to him tonight or tomorrow. He knows. We probably won’t even have to talk. He knows it wasn’t malicious or intentional by any means.”
“As you see he gets up and walks to the free-throw line because he thought it was a hard foul and moves on. I think it probably was harder because he didn’t see me coming. If he would have prepared and actually turned his head to the left, I don’t think it would have been as hard of a foul but I was just kind of out of his view a little bit.”
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