“No One Intended for Anyone to Get Injured”: Shaquille O’Neal Was Subject to Police Investigation Months Before Becoming a Cop Himself

Published 09/19/2022, 12:00 PM EDT

Shaquille O’Neal loves a good laugh. Be it at the expense of himself or someone else, the NBA Hall of Famer has often been involved in hilarious situations. His shenanigans with NBA on TNT co-analyst Charles Barkley are well documented. However, ‘Diesel’ once became the subject of a police investigation.

While O’Neal is a fun-loving personality, his actions went a little too far one time. The 7’1″ giant has been an analyst for Turner Sports since 2011. In 2014, it was reported that Atlanta Police were investigating an alleged assault by O’Neal. The report indicated that Shaq had tackled a colleague by the name of Robert Williams while he was working one day.

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Williams, who apparently was a camera operator on set, alleged that Shaquille O’Neal had hit him with a tackle punch on the back which resulted in the big man falling down on him. Williams had reportedly hurt his neck and back due to the incident. However, no charges were filed.

O’Neal’s attorney released a statement, “This was nothing more than horseplay. No one intended for anyone to get injured“. While it might have been a playful gesture by Shaq, it certainly didn’t make Williams laugh. The Atlanta PD had said that charges will be filed after a thorough investigation.

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However, this didn’t affect O’Neal’s chances of becoming a police officer himself. Just a few months after this incident, O’Neal was sworn in as a reserve police officer in South Florida.

Shaquille O’Neal as a reserve police officer

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The Los Angeles Lakers legend always wanted to be part of the police. After applying in September 2014, O’Neal became a reserve police officer in January 2015 in a ceremony. O’Neal has helped the police various times in his life. He became an honorary Miami Beach police officer after he helped the police to make an arrest in 2005.

In 2019, O’Neal was named an auxiliary police sheriff by the Broward Sheriff’s Office. The four-time NBA champion has made a huge impact on society ever since his retirement. He is always in the news for one reason or another even after retiring more than a decade ago.

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On top of four championships, O’Neal was a 15-time All-Star, 3-time Finals MVP, and a 2-time scoring champion among various accolades. His contributions to the game of basketball are historic. However, his impact off the court is equally commendable.

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Pragya is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Having completed Masters in Sports Management from the International Institute of Sports Management, Mumbai, he has been a passionate fan of the NBA since 2010. Pragya is a massive supporter of LeBron James and just wants to enjoy the twilight years of his Hall of Fame career.

“No One Intended for Anyone to Get Injured”: Shaquille O’Neal Was Subject to Police Investigation Months Before Becoming a Cop Himself

Shaquille O’Neal as a reserve police officer

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