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Raptors retain Terence Davis despite criminal charges after thorough discussions

william lou
NBA reporter
·2 min read

The Toronto Raptors have kept sophomore guard Terence Davis, despite facing seven criminal charges stemming from an altercation involving a woman and his infant child in a hotel room.

Davis was named to the final 20-man roster as the Raptors prepare for training camp in Tampa, Florida. Cases of domestic abuse are handled and investigated jointly by the NBA and the Players’ Association, and an announcement has yet to be made. Davis is set to appear in court on Dec. 11, where he is expected to plead not guilty to all charges including two counts of assault in the third degree involving a woman.

“We’ve obviously had our conversations with Terence, done as much diligence as we can for the situation, but at this point it’s a matter between the NBA and the union. Sometimes that may feel a bit unsatisfying, but we need to be respectful of the situation as well,” Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said in a press conference on Tuesday.

According to police statements, Davis is alleged to have struck a woman in the face multiple times with a closed fist causing swelling in the eye and resulting in a hospital visit. Davis also smashed her phone and during the incident, their child was also knocked over.

When pressed for further details, Webster said the Raptors have conducted their own investigation which informed their decision to bring Davis into camp. Toronto had the option to decline the second year of Davis’ deal by Nov. 29 independent of the NBA’s investigation, but have opted to retain him.

“We wouldn’t make the decision if we weren’t comfortable with the information that we had. It doesn’t preclude us from having new information coming out in the future for us to makes this decision, but we felt we were thorough on our end.”

“You know us, we take this incredibly serious. There’s no basketball issue that would ever prevent us from doing anything, but we also have to go with our relationship and our understanding of the conversations of what happened,” Webster said.

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