In a second tweet, Pompey mentioned that Embiid had “thrown a punch,” although he later deleted this statement. However, controversy had already erupted.
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ESPN’s Shams Charania also reported on the incident, confirming that Embiid had been involved in an altercation with columnist Marcus Hayes, whom he pushed after displeasure over a column that referenced his deceased brother and his son. Charania clarified that there were no blows, and the NBA announced that it would begin an investigation into the event. Ramona Shelbourne, also of ESPN, provided details about the contact, describing it as a shove on the shoulder.
The criticism that sparked this situation came from a recent article by Hayes titled “Joel Embiid disrespects the Sixers, the game, their greats and himself.” This text was not only a criticism of Embiid’s performance, but also contained comments that seemed like personal attacks, which caused the player to react. After the incident, the original article was edited, and although problematic passages were removed, there are still screenshots circulating on the internet.
During a YouTube live, journalist Kyle Neubeck revealed that Embiid had warned Hayes to refrain from mentioning his brother and son in future criticisms. Despite the apologies offered by Hayes, Embiid did not accept them and made it clear that it was not the first time that these types of comments affected him. The situation escalated to the point where the Sixers’ communications team had to intervene to separate the parties, while Embiid expressed his frustration with the press before leaving the locker room, stating that he had done too much for the city to be treated that way. manner.
