14:19 ET
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Kendra AndrewsESPN
SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green publicly apologized Saturday and announced he will be away from the team for a few days following an altercation between himself and teammate Jordan Poole.
“No. 1, I was wrong with my actions,” Green said. He added that he has apologized to Poole and Poole’s family.
“There’s a lot of shame involved [this]” Green said. “Not just for me, because I was the one who did the deed … but the embarrassment that Jordan has to deal with and that this team has to deal with, this organization must cope. But also Jordan’s family. His family saw this video. His mother, his father saw that video. If my mom saw this video, I know how my mom would feel.”
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Green initially apologized to Poole and the team on Thursday before practice, then immediately left the facility and went home. General manager Bob Myers said he did not expect Green to miss any games, and coach Steve Kerr said Green would be back with the team for Saturday’s practice. But a leaked video of the incident between Green and Poole prompted Green to take a different course of action.
The Warriors plan to take “every possible legal action” to find the source of the leak, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne. Golden State has also been in discussions with the league about steps to identify how the video got out, sources told ESPN.
Myers said the altercation stemmed from a normal practices conversation that escalated and had nothing to do with Green and Poole’s impending contract negotiations.
Poole is eligible for a rookie extension and his agency is in the process of being negotiated with the Warriors. Both sides are using the Oct. 17 deadline as a driver to reach a new deal.
Green has a player option pending at the end of this season. If not picked up, Green will become a restricted free agent in 2024. Green has publicly stated that he does not believe he and the Warriors will reach a deal this year.