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 The colleague, Robert Williams, said the 7-foot, 1-inch (2.16
meter), 325-pound (147 kg) O'Neal, a sports commentator at the Time
Warner Co unit, "ran out of a room and hit me with a tackle punch to
the back, knocking me down and falling on me," according to a police
report. Williams said his neck and back were hurt in the incident.
No charges have been filed against O'Neal, who retired from the
National Basketball Association in 2011 after 19 seasons and 15
All-Star appearances and is an NBA analyst for the TNT network.
Williams filed the simple battery report on July 2 but said the
incident took place in May.
Atlanta Police spokeswoman Kim Jones declined to explain why the
probe is taking so long complete.
Turner spokesman Sal Petruzzi and O'Neal's attorney both declined to
comment.
But Atlanta television station WSB earlier quoted the attorney,
Dennis Roach, as saying, "This was nothing more than horseplay. No
one intended for anyone to get injured."
In the police complaint, Williams said he reported the incident to
Turner security "at the time of my injury, and was placed under
medical care and released from duties within 24 hours of the
attack."
O'Neal, 42, played for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers and
several other teams during his professional sports career. He has
been described by the NBA as "one of the most dominant players ever"
but also is known for a goofy, outsized personality.
(Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Richard Chang)
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