Mobile, Alabama police have issued a warrant for arrest for DeMarcus Cousins, as first reported by A.J. Perez of USA Today Sports. Cousins was allegedly recorded earlier this week threatening his ex-girlfriend and mother of his son, claiming that he would “put a bullet in your head.”
The victim of the threat reportedly filed a police report a few hours after the alleged recording of Cousins was released by TMZ Sports.
The Los Angeles Lakers center married his longtime girlfriend last week, an event that may have led to the outburst against his ex-girlfriend.
It’s not clear yet if Cousins, who signed with the Lakers in July in hopes of chasing a championship, will turn himself into the police department. According to USA Today Sports’ report, he could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor which has a maximum jail time of one year.
Cousins has been recovering from a torn ACL suffered earlier this month in a private workout. The Lakers recently signed Dwight Howard as an on-court replacement but have not made any roster moves regarding Cousins place on the team.
Both the Lakers and the NBA have released statements acknowledging the severity of the issue and claiming that they are investigating the situation before taking further action.
Cousins’ contract with the Lakers is fully guaranteed so he would be owed the full amount of the deal if he is cut at any time.
Clearly, domestic violence is an incredibly serious issue and even the threat of causing bodily harm is not one to be taken lightly. The Lakers have come under fire this summer for hiring Jason Kidd, who was convicted of domestic violence during his playing days, with solely the reported explanation that his hiring as an assistant coach rather than the team’s head coach was based on that fact.
Cousins’ issue is clearly complicated given the dynamic between both parties. But regardless of what led to the outburst, Cousins must take responsibility for his actions and find a solution to fixing that problem.
