The fallout from Delonte West’s mental breakdown continues. Days after a video emerged of West’s arrest, a police officer has been punished.
On Jan. 20, two videos emerged on social media of West, 36, a former NBA player. One video reportedly featured West fighting a man in the middle of the road near the MGM National Harbor casino in Oxon Hill, Maryland, according to ESPN. West allegedly started the fight by attacking the man with a bottle.
On another video, West, who appears to be strikingly thin, sat on the curb of the street while shirtless and handcuffed.
A police officer allegedly filmed both incidents with a cell phone, ESPN reported. On Jan. 21, Prince George’s County Police announced that the officer, who has yet to be identified, was suspended for his role in filming West.
After the video went viral, several NBA players showed their support for West and urged the NBA to provide help. Since his final NBA season in 2012, West, who played for Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavs, and Cleveland Cavs, has battled mental health issues.
“Sad to hear the news about Delonte West. We failed him,” former NBA star Royce White, who also battled mental health issues, tweeted. “We should be talking about mental health honestly all the time, not just when celebrities are in crisis. Let’s not caricature the mental health topic through Delonte’s struggles…Check your own coffee mug first.”
