Clippers Blake Griffin Suspended Four Games without Pay for Off-Court Fight

The Los Angeles Clippers announced that Blake Griffin will be suspended for four games without pay for getting into a fight with a member of the team's equipment staff.

In the official statement, the Clippers stated that they decided on the penalty with the help of the league. The salary that Griffin will lose - $859,442 - will be donated to charity for underprivileged youth in Los Angeles.

A part of the statement read:

"We have made it clear that this conduct has no place in the Clippers organization. Blake is remorseful and has apologized for his actions. He is a valued member of our Clippers family and we support him as he rejoins the team. He understands his actions have consequences, and is eager to get back to work with his teammates, the organization and Clipper Nation which starts immediately with rehab, appearances and attendance at games.

For our team and organization, it is time to move forward which begins today and ultimately concludes when we have Blake back on the court."

Head coach Doc Rivers said he is glad the situation has been dealt with.

"It's just nice to have it over with, and now we can kind of move on," Rivers said reported by ESPN. "Obviously, we don't get Blake back yet -- we have a lot of games before that -- and we have to keep trying to get through that. But that [punishment] part of it is over with, and now we can get back to kind of repairing our team."

The suspension will begin once Griffin is considered healthy enough to play.

Griffin fractured his shooting hand when he punched assistant equipment manager Matias Testi during a team stop in Toronto last month. His recovery time was estimated to be anywhere from four to six weeks. Prior to the injury, Griffin was sitting out due to an injured left quadriceps tendon.

The Clippers, who are fourth in the Western Conference, have an 18-4 record without Griffin. They will be playing the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET.