A fan is suing Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal for a postgame incident last month in Orlando. While walking off the court, the 29-year-old shooting guard confronted a group of fans after one yelled: “You made me lose $1,300, you f—!” Beal retorted that he doesn’t care about any of their bets and then allegedly knocked the hat off the head of Kyler Briffa, thinking he was the one who shouted at him.
allegedly “knowingly and intentionally struck the Plaintiff’s head” to knock his hat off
Briffa is alleging assault and battery in his lawsuit and seeks damages exceeding $50,000. The complaint outlines how one of Briffa’s friends made the comment about the losing sports bet. Beal then allegedly “knowingly and intentionally struck the Plaintiff’s head” to knock his hat off. Orlando police opened an investigation following the incident, but no criminal charges were filed.
In a news conference on April 10, Beal spoke about the increase in hate that players get with legal sports betting becoming more widespread. Numerous NBA stars have expressed similar views. One irate bettor on social media recently called Toronto Raptors power forward Chris Boucher a slave following a lost wager.
