Reply With Quote
At 1st, I misread the le of this thread:
" Arenas pulls groin in locker room "
At 1st, I misread the le of this thread:
" Arenas pulls groin in locker room "
Gilbert Arenas suspended indefinitely w/o pay.
http://www.nba.com/2010/news/01/06/a...s=iref:nbahpt1
David Stern statement on Arenas suspension
By Official Release
Posted Jan 6 2010 4:05PM
NEW YORK, Jan. 6, 2010 -- National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern issued the following statement today:
"The possession of firearms by an NBA player in an NBA arena is a matter of the utmost concern to us. I initially thought it prudent to refrain from taking immediate action because of the pendency of a criminal investigation involving the office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia and the Metropolitan Police Department, and the consideration of this matter by a grand jury sitting in the District of Columbia. For the same reason, I directed the Wizards to refrain from taking any action.
Wizards personnel continue to be interviewed by law enforcement authorities, some are scheduled for appearance before the grand jury and the investigation is proceeding with the intensity that one would expect for such a serious incident.
"Although it is clear that the actions of Mr. Arenas will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse, his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game. Accordingly, I am suspending Mr. Arenas indefinitely, without pay, effective immediately pending the completion of the investigation by the NBA."
Washington Wizards' Gilbert Arenas(notes) yells to the crowd as he walks off the court after an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010, in Philadelphia. Washington won 104-97.
What is the "ongoing conduct" which prompts Stern to label Arenas unfit to play? Anyone see the Wiz - Sixers game, where Arenas got into it with the crowd abit (above)? Has he lost all composure? His recent twitter posts are near nonsensical.
Imaginary guns, real issues
January, 6, 2010 Jan 61:19PM ETComment Email Print Share By J.A. Adande
Gilbert Arenas didn't help his case with David Stern when he formed play guns with his thumbs and index fingers and fired away during the Wizards' pregame introductions in Philadelphia Tuesday night, as captured in this picture. Clearly his teammates were in on the joke, as they're all laughing. But they're not the ones who will have to face Stern's wrath for violating his ban on guns in NBA territory.
And Stern takes everything into consideration, even pregame routines. Remember when Matt Barnes performed a weapons-check patting down of Stephen Jackson during the Golden State Warriors 2007 playoff games, six months after Jackson fired a gun outside an Indianapolis strip club? That came to a halt after Stern sent word to knock it off.
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/cat...ame/j-a-adande
Wizards' statement on Arenas suspension
"We fully endorse the decision of the NBA to indefinitely suspend Gilbert Arenas. Strictly legal issues aside, Gilbert's recent behavior and statements, including his actions and statements last night in Philadelphia, are unacceptable. Some of our other players appeared to find Gilbert's behavior in Philadelphia amusing. This is also unacceptable. Under Abe Pollin's leadership, our organization never tolerated such behavior, and we have no intention of ever doing so."
Ernie Grunfeld, President, Washington Wizards
Irene Pollin, Principal Owner, Washington Sports and Entertainment (WSE)
Robert Pollin, Chief Executive Officer, WSE
James Pollin, President, WSE
Vato pendejo!!!!
Arenas via twitter:
"I know everybody seen the pre game pics..my teammate thought to break the tention we should do that..but this is gettn way to much," he wrote, adding a few minutes later, "I wanna say sorry if I pissed any body off by us havin fun...I'm sorry for anything u need to blame for for right now."
Fabs looks to be one of those in the pic that found it amusing.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...nas/index.html
The real reason for this thread..Wizards selling and we should buy
I can see Stern's head exploding over these pictures. Big ups to the commish for suspending this fool. Next stop, void the contract.
The words "dumb-ass" simply aren't enough to describe this childish, young, punk.
Wizards' Arenas suspended indefinitely as new details emerge in gun incident
By Mike Wise
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 7, 2010;
National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern suspended Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas indefinitely without pay Wednesday, saying a gun incident in the Wizards' locker room last month and Arenas's behavior since had led him to conclude "that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game."
Stern's action, announced in a scathing statement issued from his office in New York, cast into doubt the future career of one of Washington's most colorful athletes who once delighted fans with his all-star play but has been seeking to regain his form this year after missing most of the past two seasons with a knee injury.
It also came as new details emerged about the locker-room confrontation between Arenas and Javaris Crittenton, a Wizards teammate, on Dec. 21 that suggest a potentially far more volatile incident than was originally reported by Arenas to team officials.
The two players had been arguing during a card game on the Wizards' flight back from Phoenix Dec. 19, and the dispute spilled into the team locker room at Verizon Center before practice two days later. Arenas has acknowledged bringing his handguns to the arena and displaying them in the locker room that morning in what he maintained was a playful gesture aimed at his teammate.
According to two first-hand accounts of the confrontation, Crittenton responded to Arenas's action -- which included laying the four unloaded weapons in Crittenton's cubicle with a note that read, "Pick One" -- by brandishing his own firearm, loading the gun and chambering a round.
Two of the five people in the room that morning, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Arenas had originally not disclosed Crittenton's action to protect the little-used guard from prosecution and had told Crittenton he would assume full responsibility for the actions of both players that day.
In a two-hour interview with police and federal prosecutors Monday, Arenas, in his version of the story, spoke of Crittenton's loaded gun, a person with knowledge of Arenas's testimony said.
Mark Bartlestein, Crittenton's agent, declined to comment. Crittenton, in a series of text messages responding to a request for comment, said the account provided by the witnesses was "false."
"I have done nothing wrong. Let the investigation process take its course and you will see that," he said. "My name is dying in this situation."
Crittenton has been injured all season and has yet to play in a game. Arenas signed a six-year, $111 million contract in July 2008, $80 million of which remains after this season.
Neither the NBA nor the Wizards would comment Wednesday on the depth of Crittenton's involvement. But officials from both the team and the league, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they had heard the version of the story told by people who witnessed the altercation.
"We still don't know all the details yet," a senior Wizards official said. "That's just one version of the story we heard."
A source familiar with Monday's meeting between Arenas and police and prosecutors said that prosecutors agreed to only use Arenas's statements as part of their investigation, not as direct evidence to be presented to the grand jury or to be used during a trial or hearing. Also, Arenas told prosecutors Monday that he would be willing to meet with them again or appear before a grand jury in the coming days if they requested.
Prosecutors began presenting evidence to a D.C. Superior Court grand jury in the case Tuesday. The case is still being investigated by the police and the league, which has yet to interview all players involved. D.C. police declined to comment.
A 'respected' decision
Arenas, reached by telephone in his Cleveland hotel room, where he watched the Wizards lose to the Cavaliers on Wednesday night, said he "respected" Stern's decision to suspend him.
"He is the same man who put me on my second all-star team after I got snubbed by the coaches," Arenas added. "That decision came down for me. He made a tougher decision today that went against me. And I have to accept it."
In his statement, Stern held out the prospect of a prolonged suspension for Arenas, who turned 28 Wednesday.
"The possession of firearms by an NBA player in an NBA arena is a matter of the utmost concern to us," Stern said. "Although it is clear that the actions of Mr. Arenas will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse, his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game."
Stern, who originally had said through the league that he would wait until the police investigation concluded before taking action, decided to act after Arenas playfully formed his hands into pistols and pretended he was shooting his teammates as the Wizards huddled courtside before their game against the 76ers in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
The Wizards issued a statement supporting the commissioner's move. "Strictly legal issues aside, Gilbert's recent behavior and statements, including his actions and statements last night in Philadelphia, are unacceptable," said the team's statement, which was signed by team President Ernie Grunfeld; Irene Pollin, the widow of late owner Abe Pollin; and their two sons. "Some of our other players appeared to find Gilbert's behavior in Philadelphia amusing. This is also unacceptable."
Arenas has maintained that he brought the four guns to Verizon Center and put them in a locked container to get them out of his Virginia home following the birth of his third child Dec. 9. They were taken by arena security after the incident.
Crittenton's gun, according to the witnesses of the altercation, was never found. Both witness accounts said they were unclear how the gun was disposed of.
Preston Burton, a defense attorney and former assistant U.S. attorney in the District, said it would be difficult to build a criminal case against Crittenton based on the scenario described by the witnesses. He said prosecutors would look at factors, including whether they could prove Crittenton had a weapon, and whether the gun was real.
"It's going to be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to make a case without a gun," Burton said.
'Not the hoodlum'
In the telephone interview, Arenas hoped he could soon meet with Stern.
"That's not so I can ask him to reinstate me right now," Arenas said. "I just want to remind him of who I am. I'm the kid who jumped off the trampoline at the all-star game, the kid who throws his jersey to people in the stands. I'm not the hoodlum that's being written and talked about right now.
"I'm sorry for my teammates, the city of Washington, the memory of Mr. Pollin and his family, and all my fans that support me and the game of basketball. I mean that. This shouldn't have happened. It shouldn't have got this far. I know that."
The dispute between Arenas and Crittenton began on the team plane during a popular card game between players called "Boo-ray." Crittenton lost roughly $1,100 to JaVale McGee, a Wizards center, in the game, according to a player who watched the game and who also spoke on condition of anonymity. Crittenton, already angry over a dispute over the game's rules, became irate when Arenas began needling him.
Their barbs escalated to a point where Arenas, smiling, said he would blow up Crittenton's car, according to two players on the flight, who requested anonymity. Crittenton replied that he would shoot Arenas in his surgically repaired knee.
Walking into the locker room two days after the dispute on the team plane, according to two witnesses, Arenas laid out the guns in Crittenton's locker. Two other teammates eventually sauntered in and, while Arenas was writing the note in front of Crittenton's cubicle, in walked Crittenton, according to their account.
Asking Arenas what he was doing, Arenas replied, "If you want to shoot me, I'd just thought I'd make it easy for you." As other teammates laughed, Crittenton crumpled up the paper, tossed one of Arenas's guns across the room, where it bounced in front of a team trainer, and said he didn't need any of Arenas's firearms because he had his own, according to the witness accounts.
Crittenton then drew his weapon, loaded it and chambered a round, the witnesses said.
Neither witness said the gun was ever pointed at Arenas, but both said Crittenton began singing as he held the gun.
Arenas began laughing, the witnesses said, telling Crittenton, "Look at that little shiny gun," as two other players slowly retreated to the training room.
Arenas eventually followed. By the time the players came back out, Crittenton was gone.
It was unclear Wednesday when Arenas's suspension might be lifted.
An NBA official said equating Arenas's indefinite suspension as a precursor to a lifetime ban for Arenas would not be accurate, especially given the fact that Arenas has yet to be charged in the case.
Arenas, who was told by his attorneys not to comment directly on the details of the case, said, "I'm sorry for what happened and how people took that."
"The gun charge, I'm taking serious," he said in the interview. "The media painting a picture of me, casting me as someone I'm not, that's what I reacted to. I'm reacting to what people are saying about me not the seriousness of the situation."
Staff writers Maria Glod, Keith L. Alexander and Michael Lee in Cleveland contributed to this report.
According to two first-hand accounts of the confrontation, Crittenton responded to Arenas's action -- which included laying the four unloaded weapons in Crittenton's cubicle with a note that read, "Pick One" -- by brandishing his own firearm, loading the gun and chambering a round.
It's funny to me how much this part of the story changed. In the beginning, it was rumored the money was upwards of $100K. Then it was $60K that Crittenton paid McGee on Arenas' behalf. Now, it's all the way down to $1,100 that Crittenton lost to McGee.The dispute between Arenas and Crittenton began on the team plane during a popular card game between players called "Boo-ray." Crittenton lost roughly $1,100 to JaVale McGee, a Wizards center, in the game, according to a player who watched the game and who also spoke on condition of anonymity. Crittenton, already angry over a dispute over the game's rules, became irate when Arenas began needling him.
As for the rest of it, I'm sure they are going to investigate a lot more about Crittenton's gun now since two witnesses (other than Arenas) saw it.
I hope the Wiz find a way to cancel his contract and rebuild. He needs to be made a lesson of.
people do need to realize the pregame gimmick was really not a big deal..
you get too caughtup in what's PC or not..
bottomline is.. nobody got hurt.. gilbert's punishment was justified.. bringing real guns to the facility is not a joke.. i wouldn't appreciate it if anyone brought a real gun into my workplace as a joke.. not cool.. but at the same time.. it's stupid to fire someone 2 days later for making fun of the situation about the guns.. some ppl act like gilbert doesn't regret the issue.. he does.. he was just trying to ease the tension..
January 8, 2010
Arenas Image Is Pulled; Questions Are Raised
By KEN BELSON
NYTimes
As professional sports leagues have moved deeper into the information media business — starting blogs, Web sites and television networks — they have taken on the look and feel of outlets run by fans and private news media outlets.
But the leagues sometimes have their own self-interests in mind, something that was apparent on Wednesday when the N.B.A. made unavailable a picture of Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards, who was joking with his teammates by shooting them with his fingers pointed like guns.
Arenas made the gesture at a game Tuesday to poke fun at his decision to bring several guns into the Wizards’ locker room two weeks ago. The N.B.A. saw no humor in it and suspended Arenas without pay on Wednesday, even before the police completed their investigation into the original gun episode.
Even before the suspension was announced, the N.B.A. asked Getty Images, which distributes photos taken by the league’s photographers, to make the picture of Arenas and his teammates unavailable for reproduction. The photo had been available for many hours and was already posted on some Web sites, including ESPN’s home page.
Over the next few hours, news outlets called Getty Images, asking where the photo went. Getty called the N.B.A., which agreed to make it available again.
The photo “was taken down because we thought the actions depicted in the photo were insensitive given the cir stances,” Tim Frank, an N.B.A. spokesman, said in a statement. “Upon the request of news organizations, we made the photo available for their editorial use and it will remain available.”
The photo’s disappearance, though, raised fresh questions about the continuing efforts of the N.B.A. and other professional leagues to control their images. Sports leagues are in a never-ending battle to muzzle new technology that gives fans and news media greater access and the potential to earn money by, say, selling advertisements on blogs.
In recent years, sports leagues have prohibited fans from posting television footage on their Web sites, blocked players from using Twitter during games, and limited how photographs and audio and video clips can be posted on Web sites.
At the same time, leagues have tried to co-opt their opponents by using the same technology themselves. In doing so, they have blurred the lines — at least to many fans — among legitimate news organizations and those that look and feel like news organizations but are actually public relations vehicles for the sports.
The N.B.A., for instance, runs NBAE, which hires photographers to take pictures at its games. The league hired Getty Images to distribute NBAE’s photos, including the one in which Arenas was caught joking with his teammates.
Other than the credit, which reads “NBAE, via Getty Images,” the photo looks like one taken by a news agency. But the N.B.A.’s contract with Getty Images means that “it was their photographer and they own the copyright,” said Bridget Russel, a spokeswoman for Getty Images. “It’s their right to pull the image.”
Russel said it was rare for the league to request that a photo be removed suddenly. Getty Images, which also has photographers who operate like those from newspapers and other editorial organizations, distributes photographs for other sports organizations, including Major League Baseball, the P.G.A. and FIFA. The Associated Press distributes the N.F.L.’s photos.
No other news agency appears to have taken a similar photo. There is also apparently no video footage of Arenas joking with his teammates, according to Comcast SportsNet, which broadcast the game in Philadelphia. Mark Mandel, a spokesman for ESPN, said his network would have used the footage if it was available.
No one disputes the N.B.A.’s right to do what it likes with its own photographs. But the league’s efforts to bury images that it deems damaging raises deeper questions about whether sporting events are in the public domain or private events that the public are allowed to watch under only certain conditions.
“To the extent sports leagues are insinuating themselves into a media role, it leads to a measure of public confusion about who’s in control here,” said Paul Alan Levy, the head of the litigation group at Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group. “What this case reminds us is that if the leagues gain a right to control, they’re going to abuse it.”
Sports leagues are likely to become more prescriptive about what images can and cannot be used from its games, according to Cindy Cohn, the legal director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit group focused on digital rights. To fans, that may take the form of more restrictions listed on the backs of their tickets. This is likely to lead to more tension between the league, its fans and the news media.
“There’s a fundamental disconnect between fans who consider teams part of their culture, history and town, and the owners of the teams that view them as their private property,” Cohn said. “One saving grace is that they do care about their image and they don’t want to look like jack-booted thugs. But free speech is important.”
Howard Beck contributed reporting.
“Upon the request of news organizations, we made the photo available for their editorial use and it will remain available.”
HaHa, fair use, corporate mofo.
Posted: Monday January 25, 2010 2:02PM; Updated: Monday January 25, 2010 7:00PM
Crittenton pleads guilty to gun charge, gets probation
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201....ap/index.html
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Washington Wizards guard Javaris Crittenton pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge Monday, explaining he had a pistol because he feared teammate Gilbert Arenas would shoot him or blow up his car after the two argued over a card game.
The hearing marked the first time authorities confirmed Crittenton was the other player involved in the confrontation with Arenas, who pleaded guilty Jan. 15 to a felony gun charge.
D.C. Superior Court Senior Judge Bruce Beaudin sentenced Crittenton, 22, to a year of unsupervised probation after Crittenton pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of an unregistered firearm. Beaudin ordered Crittenton to mentor young people in Washington and to help with relief efforts for Haiti.
Beaudin didn't order a specific amount of community service but said his lawyer must report regularly on the work.
Crittenton must also pay a $1,000 fine and $250 into a victims' fund.
"I accept full responsibility for my bad judgment, my terrible mistake," Crittenton, who appeared in court wearing a gray suit and glasses, told the judge as he entered the plea. "I'm deeply sorry to the city of Washington, to the Wizards, to my family and to the NBA for this embarrassment."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Kavanaugh said the two players first clashed Dec. 19 over a card game on a team flight back from a game in Phoenix. Arenas said he was too old for a fistfight and threatened to shoot Crittenton in the face, and Crittenton replied he would shoot Arenas in his surgically repaired knee, Kavanaugh said.
Later, Arenas said he would blow up or burn Crittenton's car, Kavanaugh said.
Two days later, Crittenton put his legally owned, unloaded handgun into his backpack before he left his apartment in Arlington, Va., for practice at the Verizon Center, Kavanaugh said.
Crittenton put the backpack in his locker and went to see team trainers, Kavanaugh said. When he returned he saw several guns -- Crittenton's lawyer said there were three, not four, as previously reported -- on a chair in front of his locker with a sign saying, "Pick 1."
Crittenton tossed one of the guns on the floor and told Arenas to get the weapons off the chair. Then, fearing for his safety, Crittenton took the handgun out of his backpack and showed it to Arenas, Kavanaugh said.
However, Kavanaugh said there is no evidence Crittenton ever threatened anyone with the gun.
Prosecutors said Arenas told Crittenton: "You are going to need more than that little gun."
Kavanaugh said Crittenton voluntarily surrendered his gun to authorities. Police had searched his apartment Jan. 14 but didn't find it.
Crittenton's lawyer, Peter H. White, said his client was scared of Arenas. He emphasized that Crittenton, in his third year in the NBA, did not have the stature on the team that Arenas enjoyed.
White said that after Crittenton tossed one of Arenas' guns on the floor, Arenas said: "If I'm giving you these three guns, imagine what I have in my car."
Arenas has said repeatedly that the situation was a misguided attempt at a joke and that he never intended to hurt anybody.
White told reporters after the hearing that Crittenton wouldn't make any more statements because he is scheduled to meet with NBA officials Tuesday.
Crittenton faces a suspension or fine from the NBA because possession of a gun at an NBA arena is a violation of the league's collective bargaining agreement.
NBA spokesman Tim Frank said the league had no immediate comment on Crittenton's plea.
The Wizards said in a statement Monday that Crittenton used "very bad judgment."
"The charges filed today against Javaris Crittenton and his subsequent plea represent another disappointing development in what has already been a long and frustrating process for the team, the NBA and, most importantly, our fans," the team said.
A spokeswoman for Arenas' lawyer declined to comment on Crittenton's plea. Arenas, who is in the second season of a six-year, $111 million contract and has been suspended indefinitely by the NBA, is scheduled to be sentenced March 26.
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Can somebody please plant in a gun in Richard Jefferson's locker room?!..I'll supply the gun if somebody is willing to do it..we need the void to make up for the FO's mistakes..
I would rather someone put it in Pop's locker.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
