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Report: Stephenson Beat Girlfriend For Not Answering Calls
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Aug 17, 2010
Modified Aug 17, 2010
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By
Jaya Saxena
Published Aug 17, 2010
Modified Aug 17, 2010
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Indiana Pacers draft pick Lance Stephenson allegedly threw his girlfriend, Jasmine Williams, down the stairs and "slammed" her head into the bottom stair because she wouldn't pick up her phone while she was apparently on a girls' night out. A friend of Williams's dad told the Daily News, "He was calling her cell phone, she wasn't answering. This wasn't the first time this happened...The father spoke to [Stephenson's] parents before. They said, 'We aren't going to call the cops and mess up his career but this has to stop. Enough is enough.'"
Stephenson allegedly ambushed Williams as she returned to her Brooklyn apartment with two friends, but the rookie's lawyer said, "Mr. Stephenson did not maliciously, intentionally or in any other way cause harm to Jasmine Williams. Everyone, especially Lance, regrets that this incident occurred." The Coney Island native was originally a first round NBA draft pick, but got knocked down to second round due to a 2008 bust for sexually abusing a 17-year-old girl.
Pacers President Larry Bird said the team will "deal appropriately" with Stephenson, and said, "Lance should not have put himself in the position he was in early Sunday. We have consistently emphasized to our players the importance of not putting themselves in situations where bad things can happen." Stephenson recently signed a three-year contract with the team, which reportedly guarantees him $700,000 the first year. Stephenson has been released without bail, and Williams, the mother of their child, is still in pain and wearing a neck brace.
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larry bird
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