Chris Brown's Cousin: 'He Had to Be Provoked to Do It'

In an "Extra" exclusive, Chris Brown's cousin, Phylicia Thompson, has come to the singer's defense over the alleged attack. "Chris was not brought up...to beat on a woman," she told us. But she didn't stop there! She went on to say, "So it had to be something to provoke him for Chris to do it. He wouldn't have done it just to be having fun... But what happens behind closed doors, nobody ever knows."

Standing outside the house where Brown grew up, Thompson told "Extra," "He might feel down right now because his fans are looking down on him, like he's done something wrong. Of course, yes, he's done something wrong because he put his hands on her, but like I said, you don't know what happened. He had to be provoked to do it. Chris would never have done it."

Thompson, who last saw Brown in April 2008, added, "Everybody loved Chris... This comes as a surprise to me... He was never a troubled child." Growing up with Brown, Thompson admitted, "It was fun. Me and Chris were close in age. He practically lived with us... It was pretty cool growing up with Chris... We had so much fun. He was just an active child... He liked to dance. He liked to sing. He liked to play sports."