Kings center Richaun Holmes vehemently denies child abuse allegations in deleted tweets
Kings center Richaun Holmes vehemently denied abusing his son in a series of since-deleted tweets Wednesday after The Sacramento Bee reported claims made in an ugly custody battle between Holmes and his ex-wife.
In court documents, Allexis Holmes accused her ex-husband of domestic violence and physical abuse of their 6-year-old son, alleging he caused the boy to bleed from a blow to the head during a Feb. 6 visitation. Richaun Holmes responded to the allegations on Twitter before deleting the tweets moments later.
“I never respond to allegations but when it’s comes to my son I gotta speak,” Holmes tweeted. “You have to be goofy as hell to believe that about me … my heart BEATS for my son I live this very life to see him happy and could never raise a hand to harm him EVER. My son adores me and I adore him … the relationship we share is the greatest bond I have ever experience … to hear my name tarnished at his expense is where I draw the line!
“You can think what you want of me … and i personally don’t care ... but my son i care for … and my son is who i live for … and I’m his protector and i take that job more serious than any other … never would i harm him … never COULD i harm him … he is the best thing that has ever happened.”
Holmes later posted an Instagram story featuring an undated photo of him with his son inside Golden 1 Center with the words: “They could never tear us apart no matter what they try.”
Lydecia Holmes, Richaun Holmes’ mother, also posted a series of tweets in response to the allegations against her son.
“Those of u who believe this crap about my son, God help you!” she said. “The truth will come out! My son loves his son. This is an attempt to discredit him to keep him from getting custody. This really have me boiling! Don’t mess with or lie on my son! Now you have to deal with me, You liar!
“This have ticked me off! But God is fighting this battle! In the end we win in Jesus name! She wants to defame my son’s name and character. Just wait! It ain’t over yet!”
Interim Kings coach Alvin Gentry was asked about the allegations against Holmes following his team’s 110-109 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Gentry confirmed the team is aware of the allegations and takes them seriously, but he declined to comment further.
“I know that we’re aware of it,” Gentry said. “I have not read the article, so I can’t respond to it. I have not read anything about it, but I do know that we take all these accusations seriously and this organization stands against any kind of violence. That’s about the extent of what I can say about it because I haven’t read anything, so I’ll leave it at that.”
The Kings released a statement late Wednesday night.
“The entire Sacramento Kings organization would like to express our strong stance against any form of assault and domestic violence,” the team said. “We respect the legal process and will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
Richaun Holmes and Allexis Holmes have been divorced since September 2019. Allexis Holmes filed a restraining order against Richaun Holmes in Sacramento County on behalf of their son. Richaun Holmes has been ordered to stay away from the boy until they appear before a Sacramento County judge March 30.
Ann Moder, a lawyer representing Richaun Holmes, described the accusations as “baseless claims,” telling The Bee that Allexis Holmes is trying to undermine her client’s attempts to gain full custody of their son.
Richaun Holmes, 28, is in the first year of a four-year, $46.5 million contract after re-signing with the Kings in August. He has started 150 games over the past three seasons in Sacramento, but he was relegated to a backup role after the team traded for Domantas Sabonis on Feb. 8.
Holmes has not appeared in a game for the Kings since March 16. He has been away from the team since the Kings announced March 18 he would miss the rest of the season due to personal reasons.
Holmes has been a fan favorite in Sacramento since he signed with the Kings as a free agent in 2019. Fans on social media offered mixed reactions, with some supporting Holmes while others sympathized with his ex-wife and the child.
“I’d hate to be in her position,” Kings fans Cora Myers tweeted. “Always seems to be an ugly uphill battle for the woman. Here, you have fans who adore Richaun, so it’s an emotional hope that he’s the man we think he is. It’s sad all around.”
Twitter user @cfleen1 wrote: “As a father who had to battle false allegations myself due to a bitter person trying to find any way they could to undermine my parenting, I think it’s best to let the court hear this out before making any assumptions.”
@Cjozz221 tweeted: “Hopefully when he gets his chance to speak in court the allegations are proven untrue. If not, gotta go.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2022 at 6:19 PM.
