DETROIT, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- A retired Detroit police chief who was a bodyguard for former Detroit Piston Allen Iverson says Iverson did not start a bar fight as alleged in a lawsuit.
Former chief Ralph Godbee Jr., acting as one of Iverson's bodyguards on the night of the April 2009 brawl, said Iverson "was not involved, in any way" in the fight at the South Beach Pizza Bar in Detroit, the Detroit Free Press reported Wednesday.
The plaintiff, Guy Walker Jr., alleges one of Iverson's security guards assaulted him in an unprovoked attack in the VIP section of the bar, leaving him with a permanent eye injury.
The lawsuit claims Iverson made no effort to stop the fight but instead left the club with his entourage while the brawl ensued.
Godbee was one of the entourage, providing security for Iverson through his own consulting firm.
Iverson was quickly escorted out of the building when the fight broke out, Godbee said in an affidavit.
