Pacers-Pistons brawl

[Ambulance Chaser]

I didn't see the Pacers-Pistons brawl, but from the written descriptions, it seems like the punishments for the most part fit the offenses.  I am a little surprised that Ben Wallace only got six games; his overreaction to Ron Artest's hard foul instigated the entire course of events.  Was Wallace's punishment appropriate?

 

[Alex_O]

I'd say yes.
Wallace did something that regulary would garner only a one game suspension.

Artest and the Pacers are the ones who broke new ground.
Btw I would have given more games to O'neal only because he was landing all of his haymackers.

What are they going to do to the coach (guy in brown suit) who beat up on the Piston's jersey guy after Artest but before O'neal?

 

[Sevcom]

Wallace didn't punch out any fans, so far as I know. His six-game suspension seems appropriate.

The NBA really let rowdy fans off the hook, however. No, Artest should not have climbed over seats and decked umpteen fans, and neither should O'Neal or Jackson. But some spectators' actions were downright disgusting, and so far David Stern isn't taking any action against them, other than heightened security. The NBA is bleeding fans, true. But courtside ticketholders don't have a free pass to attack the players, no matter how much they paid for their seats.

 

[alaaro]

I think the fans stepped over the line as well. You dont throw things at players, and the players should not have to just "suck it up". Those fans who acted out should hav season tix revoked or have charges pressed. No way are the players the only ones to blame.

 

[chorse123]

From what I've read I didn't hear about any fans swinging punches at players. That doesn't mean that their ticket allows them to act like a-holes, but the NBA has no jurisdiction over them, and little recourse other than barring them from future games, a difficult thing to do. What are the police going to charge the fans with? Assault with a plastic-cup? Drunken/disorderly conduct, perhaps?

As for Artest-totally justified. The guy has shown that standard suspensions weren't going to mend his behavior. He's a nut.

Wallace got a reasonable punishment, actually a stiff one for a push.

 

[PeterMetro]

I think the punishments were warranted - in fact, I think Steven Jackson got off easy. The idea that the players were only trying to defend themselves is ridiculous - they put themselves in more danger by going into the stands. Once in the stands, they definitely took a couple licks, but nothing like what O'Neal delivered. He could have killed that guy (who, incidentally, had no business being on the court).

I think the fans will face punishments, both by the NBA and the police. They acted reprehensibly.

People seem intent on placing 100% of the blame on someone. Isn't there enough blame to go around?

 

[norcaltransplant]

A question for the litigators: How likely and/or easy would it be to win a civil suit for any of the "fans" who were attacked in the stands? I couldn't help but think: "wow, I would take a blow by Jermaine O'neal for a couple of million." I know this sounds a bit twisted and macabre, but I'm sure the lawyers will spring up all over the place once the dust settles.

 

[norcaltransplant]

BTW, I think there should be fine levied against the ownership of the Detroit Pistons for their fans actions and their ineptitude for getting players off the court.  Why did it take so incredibly long to usher Artest and Co. into the locker room once the melee started?  Announce over the loudspeaker for fan's to exit, pop off some pepper spray at the court level and make sure the players leave ASAP.

 

[Leo Jay]

Well, given that everyone pretty much gets to the sports arenas by car, I don't know how responsible it is for them to be selling beer to begin with. But there's far too much brewery money flowing into the coffers of the various professional sports leagues for anything to ever be done about that.

 

[nightowl6261a]

Does it not seem that the same Rap type of persona has deeply engulfed the game of Basketball, and is seeping into other sports as well. The NBA (Nothing But Assholse), has become nothing more than a large congregation of uneducated, street punks, making way to much money, and having never had any, it shows in the direction with which they spend and play. Professional athletes once were images to young men that could be counted on to be good role models, now it seems they would be better suited as model prisoners. Most of the NBA players seem to not have enough respect for themselves, so how in the world are they going to respect other players or fans.

Wallace, though an instigator, received way to many games as a suspension in comparison to the others handed out.
Every player that went across the imaginary line seperating the court from the stands should be suspended for the season, and why has nobody mentioned the action of the Pacer assistant coach who took a man down and began punching him, this man should be banned from the NBA as a coach.
It all began with Rodman, the antics etc....and when Sprewell was allowed to return to the game, after as we should remeber, threating the life of a coach, the game has gone to the pisser....let's all watch College Hoops, much more exciting, and hey, these guys are not millionaires, as yet anyway.

 

[esquire.]

Right now, the NBA is in spin control, and they are willing to sacrifice their players to protect their pocket book. The players were at fault, but the way Stern spinned it, its the players who are ultimately responsible and not the fans.

I think that suspensions should have been levied, but the amount given was too much. Keep in mind, Spree choked his coach and left marks on coach's throat, didn't end up with such a severe suspension.

The fans were out of control. It all started when Artest was trying to do the right thing and stay out of control when some idiot threw something at his face. It could have easily hit him in the eye. At that point, he went into the stands and didn't really throw any punches at this point. But, then, all hell broke out as fans started going after the players. And, if you're a teammate, you're not going to stay on the bench if a teammate is in trobule. As for O'Neal, that fan was on the court and that makes him fair game. We've all seen previous incidents where fans have ran onto the field, and football players have given these fans some nasty shots for doing so. There were never any problems with that before.

Frankly, I find some of the post fight comments kinda racist. People are saying that athletes should just suck up all the abuse they get cause Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron were given much worse abuse.

 

[retronotmetro]

A question for the litigators: How likely and/or easy would it be to win a civil suit for any of the "fans" who were attacked in the stands?  I couldn't help but think: "wow, I would take a blow by Jermaine O'neal for a couple of million."  I know this sounds a bit twisted and macabre, but I'm sure the lawyers will spring up all over the place once the dust settles.

Depends largely on what facts come out of the investigation. I only caught a quick glimpse of some of the brawl, but it seems to me that any injured/attacked fan who wasn't involved in drink-throwing and didn't throw a punch at one of the players (if there are any) would have a shot at making something stick--but even then it isn't likely to be lotto jackpot $$. I'll bet some cases like this will get filed, if only to probe for insurance coverage that might provide an easy payout.

On the other hand, any fan who threw drinks, went onto the floor, or made threatening moves towards a player would probably make a very unsympathetic plaintiff--the provocation would either provide a self-defense claim for the player, or negate any shot at getting punitive damages.

$.02 from a litigator who goes nowhere near injury work.

 

[matadorpoeta]

I think that suspensions should have been levied, but the amount given was too much. Keep in mind, Spree choked his coach and left marks on coach's throat, didn't end up with such a severe suspension. no, but he should have been banned from the nba for that. and artest has no excuse for going into the stands. if he knew who had thrown the cup at him, he could have pointed that guy out to security and they would have handled it. the ghetto mentality is spreading in this country.

 

[Brian SD]

I do not think that it relates at all to "ghetto mentality," because I would have been pissed if a fan threw something at my face, and damned if I would be able to stop myself from running into the stands. And I'm whiter than wonderbread. No way would I be satisfied with just the security guards dragging him away, I would have wanted to personally beat his ass, and if I had the body of a basketball player I would not feel inhibited to do so. I don't care if it's at a game or on the street, by god, justice must be done.

 

[chorse123]

Well, given that everyone pretty much gets to the sports arenas by car, I don't know how responsible it is for them to be selling beer to begin with.  But there's far too much brewery money flowing into the coffers of the various professional sports leagues for anything to ever be done about that.

No offence, Leo Jay, but I think this is ridiculous. Irresponsible to sell alcohol to people who MAY be operating a car? That would pretty much wipe out all alcohol consumption in the United States. And alcohol is not sold entirely because of "brewery money flowing into the coffers...." It's part of human culture.