“Shocked” Jonathan Majors addresses assault case in first TV interview

This article originally appeared on E! Online

Jonathan Majors is speaking out.

Weeks after he was found guilty of misdemeanor assault and harassment, the Creed actor addressed the case for the first time and shared his thoughts on the verdict.

"I was absolutely shocked and afraid," Majors told ABC News Live's Linsey Davis in an interview that aired Jan. 8. "I'm standing there and the verdict comes down. I say, 'How is that possible based off the evidence, based off the prosecution's evidence, let alone our evidence? How is that possible?'"

Back in March, the Marvel star was charged with assault and harassment after an incident in in New York City involving his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari, who accused him of assaulting her after she grabbed his phone to see alleged texts between him and another woman. During the trial, prosecutors said that Majors slapped Jabbari's face and fracturing one of her middle fingers, per NBC News. However, Majors still adamantly denies he caused her injuries.

"She went to grab the phone," he recalled to ABC of the incident. "I held the phone. I pulled the phone back. She came on top of me, squeezed my face, slapped me. That's all I remember."

As for what caused Jabbari's injuries, he added, "I wish to god I knew. That would give clarity. That would give me some type of peace about it."

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After his arrest in March, Majors filed a cross-complaint against Jabbari, accusing her of assault. She was arrested in Oct. in New York of multiple charges, though the Manhattan district attorney's office concluded the case "lacks prosecutorial merit" and decided not to prosecute her, per ABC.

Majors said he suffered fingernail scratches to his arm and his face during the encounter, photos of which, when presented by the defense team, were ruled inadmissible in court per the outlet. E! News has reached out to Jabbari's legal team for comment but has not yet heard back.

Despite Majors maintaining he was not the aggressor, prosecutors argued otherwise, with ABC News quoting New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg as saying, "The evidence presented throughout this trial illustrated a cycle of psychological and emotional abuse."

For her part, Jabbari has spoken about her mindset during her relationship with Majors.

"I had low self-esteem, I lost a lot of weight," the British dancer said during her testimony, per NBC News. "I felt really dependent on him because he was the only one who knew what went on. I still did try to see my friends and family but I felt like I was lying to them. I felt isolated."

In a split verdict announced Dec. 18, Majors was ultimately found guilty of one count of misdemeanor third-degree assault and one count of second-degree harassment but was acquitted of two other counts of assault and aggravated harassment. He told ABC he plans to appeal the verdict.

But while he awaits sentencing in February, the 34-year-old—who is currently dating actress Meagan Good—said he's grateful for those in his life.

"I'm really blessed," he noted. "I'm surrounded by people who love me, who care about me. But this has been very, very, very hard, and very difficult, and confusing in many ways. But I'm standing."