CLEVELAND — Koby Altman, the Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations, broke his silence on his arrest for OVI last month, saying he feels awful “about the distraction” this incident has caused, and it is an ongoing legal matter that he cannot discuss further.
“I do want to address a personal matter that happened with me a few weeks ago,” Altman said at a news conference announcing the team’s 2023 training camp roster and schedule. “I feel awful about the distraction that this incident has caused our organization and team. I've had several conversations across the building with players, coaches and ownership on down, and have expressed that same sentiment to them as well. I understand some of you may have some follow up questions regarding this. I can't go into further detail or answer any questions as this is an ongoing legal matter. I appreciate and thank you in advance for understanding this and also want to thank you for giving me the platform to discuss this today.”
Altman was arrested on the evening of Friday, Sept. 15 on State Route 2 near East 55th Street after being pulled over by police for a traffic violation. The officer has Altman perform several roadside field sobriety tests. Altman is then arrested after he refuses a pre-arrest breath test.
Altman, 40, was charged with committing a marked lanes violation and OVI, troopers said.
During the stop, troopers said Altman was "respectful and cooperative."
After the traffic stop, Ohio State Highway Patrol released body-worn camera video of the incident; watch our report below:
RELATED: Body cam video reveals new details about Cavaliers executive Koby Altman’s OVI arrest
The Cavaliers issued the following statement after the arrest:
"We are aware of an incident involving Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman. We are currently gathering more information and have no further comment at this time."
Later in Monday’s news conference, Altman spoke again about the incident, saying: “I've had several conversations, like I said, across the building and with ownership and Dan [Gilbert]. Like everything else, those conversations remain internal and personal and you know, this one was the same.”
