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Sam Asghari is speaking out after his wife, Britney Spears, was reportedly slapped by the security guard for an NBA player.
It was first reported that Spears was slapped by a security guard for San Antonio Spurs player Victor Wembanyama on Wednesday (July 5) night at a restaurant in Las Vegas after the pop icon attempted to get a photo with the pro-baller. While reports initially said Spears tapped Wembanyama on the shoulder, leading the guard to "backhand" her, the NBA player claimed someone he later learned was Spears "grabbed me from behind," TMZ reports.
"I didn't see what happened, because I was walking straight and we were told, 'Don't stop.' But that person grabbed me from behind — not on my shoulder, she grabbed me from behind — and so I just know the security pushed her away," he told KENS 5, adding that he didn't know "how much force" was used.
On Thursday (July 6), Spears' husband Asghari, who was with his wife and some friends grabbing dinner at the restaurant at the time of the incident, issued a statement on his Instagram Stories criticizing the security guard's reaction.
"I am opposed to violence in any form, especially without justification in the defense of yourself or someone else who is unable to defend themselves," he wrote. "Self-defense can be unavoidable, but the defense of any woman, especially my wife, is not debatable. I consider my reaction subdued considering what occurred, and I hope the man in question learns a lesson and changes his disregard for women. Thank you for the support."
In a second, now-deleted Story, he slammed the "violent behavior of an out-of-control security guard" and said the guard's actions "should not cast a shadow on the accomplishment of a great young man on the rise."
"The blame should fall on the coward who did this, the people who hired him without proper vetting, and a systemic culture of disregard for women within sports and entertainment," he wrote. "I can't imagine a scenario where an unarmed female fan showing any kind of excitement or appreciation for a celebrity would cause her to be physically assaulted, much less being hit in the face for tapping someone on the shoulder. The changes needed will have to come from the top, and I look forward to those changes."