The NBA will reopen its investigation into a domestic violence incident involving Lakers center Jaxson Hayes, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
Los Angeles police responded to a domestic disturbance call on July 28, 2021, involving Hayes and Sofia Jamora, who was his girlfriend at the time. TMZ posted security camera footage of the incident on Saturday, prompting league officials to take another look at the case.
“As a result of the media report and video posted this morning, we are reopening our investigation,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said.
As McMenamin relays, the video appears to show Hayes pulling Jamora out of a doorway while she says, “Stop. Let go of me.” Hayes responds, “What the f— is wrong with you?”
Their argument continues in the driveway, where Jamora shouts, “I’m not going to let you hit me anymore. What the f— do I look like, a punching bag?” Hayes is later shown walking away from her and then turning to spit toward her.
Hayes was arrested, and in June 2022 he was sentenced to three years of probation, 450 hours of community service and a year of weekly domestic violence classes. He was also ordered to pay restitution.
Police body camera video showed Hayes fighting with officers, who twice used an electric stun gun after ordering him to leave the home so they could talk to the alleged victim. He told police that Jamora had been “throwing some stuff” at him during their argument. Hayes was treated at a hospital following the arrest, and an officer that Hayes threw against a wall was treated for an elbow injury.
The NBA didn’t take any action against Hayes following its initial investigation.
“There has already been an extensive investigation that we cooperated with the league on, and as that investigation reopens, we will continue to do so,” a spokesperson for Hayes told McMenamin.
McMenamin adds that attorneys representing Jamora filed a lawsuit this week alleging that Robert T. Tamate, the officer that Hayes fought with, “previously met with Hayes’s attorneys and was compensated monetarily by Hayes for unknown reasons.”
A spokesperson for Jamora told McMenamin that she will cooperate with the NBA investigation, and a representative of the Lakers said, “We are cooperating with the league.”
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