2008 Woodie Awards
Well Deserved, Way Overdue
Kieran O'Shea
Issue date: 12/8/04 Section: Sports
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Ron Artest was suspended for the rest of the NBA's Regular season this past Sunday, a punishment that was well deserved and long overdue. Artest is by far the most out of control player in the NBA. He's the poster child for bad boys, and exactly what the NBA does not need.
Artest's teammates were also handed hefty suspensions, Stephen Jackson for 30 games and Jermaine O'Neal for 25. This, of course, puts a huge dent in the Pacers' hopes to make the playoffs this year. Although it was something that needed to be done, taking away their top 3 players was quite a hit. This was to teach these professional athletes that they can't act out and go after fans whenever they feel like it, even if they are provoked. They must learn to control their anger. All of the suspensions are without pay, of course. Artest is about to lose approximately $5 million in salary, while O'Neal's suspension will cost him between $4 and $5 million dollars as well, although it's only about ΒΌ of his salary.
David Stern called a news conference to announce the suspensions and also commented that Friday night's fracas represented "The Worst" of the 20,000 to 25,000 games he has seen in over two decades as commissioner of the NBA. Overall, the NBA issued some of the harshest penalties in its history by banning a total of nine players for more than 140 games. Artest's suspension is the strongest ever levied for a fight during a game. "The line is drawn, and my guess is that won't happen again, certainly not by anybody who wants to be associated with our league," said Commissioner Stern. Seem to be a warning to any other player who might think about doing the same thing in the future. "We have to make the point that there are boundaries in our games," Stern said. He also added, "One of our boundaries, that have always been immutable, is the boundary that separates the fans from the court. Players cannot lose control and move into the stands." He all but promised a lifetime suspension from the game for the next offender who attacks a fan. Although, maybe that's what he should have done this time. Artest has been suspended for acting out before, and just the week prior he was suspended by the team for asking for time off to promote his new CD.
Friday night's brawl was particularly violent, with Artest and Jackson bolting into the stands near center court and throwing punches at fans after a beer was tossed at Artest as he lay down on the scorer's table. And then later, Artest and then O'Neal again attacked another fan that decided to jump onto the court and confront Artest face to face.
Players who entered the stands and tried to act as peacemakers were not penalized. A Total of nine people were treated for injuries, and police are investigating possible criminal charges. Now, of course the fans were wrong for throwing beer and food and even a chair in the middle of the whole ruckus, but Artest should have been detained better to begin with.
All in all, this is an incident that has been dealt with accordingly and will hopefully never happen again, for the sake of the fans, the players and the entire NBA.
Artest's teammates were also handed hefty suspensions, Stephen Jackson for 30 games and Jermaine O'Neal for 25. This, of course, puts a huge dent in the Pacers' hopes to make the playoffs this year. Although it was something that needed to be done, taking away their top 3 players was quite a hit. This was to teach these professional athletes that they can't act out and go after fans whenever they feel like it, even if they are provoked. They must learn to control their anger. All of the suspensions are without pay, of course. Artest is about to lose approximately $5 million in salary, while O'Neal's suspension will cost him between $4 and $5 million dollars as well, although it's only about ΒΌ of his salary.
David Stern called a news conference to announce the suspensions and also commented that Friday night's fracas represented "The Worst" of the 20,000 to 25,000 games he has seen in over two decades as commissioner of the NBA. Overall, the NBA issued some of the harshest penalties in its history by banning a total of nine players for more than 140 games. Artest's suspension is the strongest ever levied for a fight during a game. "The line is drawn, and my guess is that won't happen again, certainly not by anybody who wants to be associated with our league," said Commissioner Stern. Seem to be a warning to any other player who might think about doing the same thing in the future. "We have to make the point that there are boundaries in our games," Stern said. He also added, "One of our boundaries, that have always been immutable, is the boundary that separates the fans from the court. Players cannot lose control and move into the stands." He all but promised a lifetime suspension from the game for the next offender who attacks a fan. Although, maybe that's what he should have done this time. Artest has been suspended for acting out before, and just the week prior he was suspended by the team for asking for time off to promote his new CD.
Friday night's brawl was particularly violent, with Artest and Jackson bolting into the stands near center court and throwing punches at fans after a beer was tossed at Artest as he lay down on the scorer's table. And then later, Artest and then O'Neal again attacked another fan that decided to jump onto the court and confront Artest face to face.
Players who entered the stands and tried to act as peacemakers were not penalized. A Total of nine people were treated for injuries, and police are investigating possible criminal charges. Now, of course the fans were wrong for throwing beer and food and even a chair in the middle of the whole ruckus, but Artest should have been detained better to begin with.
All in all, this is an incident that has been dealt with accordingly and will hopefully never happen again, for the sake of the fans, the players and the entire NBA.