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Pacers officials back banished players
Indiana Pacers officials backed their players as the National Basketball Association rang with recriminations in the wake of a violent brawl between Pacers players and fans in Detroit.
On Sunday, NBA commissioner David Stern meted out the longest suspension in league history - a total of 73 games - to the Pacers' Ron Artest after he waded into the stands Friday in search of a fan who threw a drink in his face.
Indiana's Stephen Jackson was suspended for 30 games and Jermaine O'Neal for 25 after both also threw punches at fans in the fracas.
Donnie Walsh, chief executive of Pacers Sports and Entertainment, acknowledged at a press conference on Monday in Indianapolis that the incident was a "low point in professional sports and a low point for our franchise.
"We apologize," he said.
But Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said he was dismayed by the "excessive negative portrayal" of his players, which he said was not consistent with the men he knows.
In all, nine players, five Pacers and four Pistons, were sanctioned in the wake of the incident that started after a late-game foul on Detroit's Ben Wallace by Artest.
Wallace shoved Artest, who walked away and then lay down on the scorers' table. A fan threw a cup of liquid in his face, and Artest stormed into the stands.
"Whatever doubt our players may have about the unacceptability of breaching this boundary, they now know the line is drawn and my guess is it won't happen again, certainly not by anyone who wants to be associated with our league," Stern said Sunday in announcing the penalties.
While the players' union was expected to challenge the severity of the punishments and Pacers owner Herb Simon said Sunday he thought they were excessive, Walsh said it wasn't yet clear what exactly the team could or would do by way of appeal.
"We are looking at the options that would be available, but we have no clear idea on what we are going to do," Walsh said.
"Commissioner Stern has wide power in this situation, an on the court situation if that's what it's determined to be," Walsh said. "There are very limited avenues of appeal that are available to a team or to the players' association."
Larry Bird, the former NBA great who is now the Pacers president of basketball operations, said only that he was counting on his players to pull together, and that the team stood behind Artest, whose previous run-ins with officialdom likely factored in his punishment.
"Right now, we're behind Ronnie 100 percent, and we will look at everything we possibly can to get him back in uniform as quickly as possible," Bird said.
Carlisle noted that unlike Artest, Jackson and O'Neal have no history of disciplinary problems, a factor he hoped might count in their favor if a reduction in their bans is sought.
While the controversy raged on sports pages, television, talk radio and internet sites as to what amount of blame should be apportioned to the players, the security arrangements and the taunting fans, the consensus was that Stern had no choice but to come down hard.
Nine spectators were hurt, and a police investigation could still result in criminal charges.
"I knew that Mr. Stern was going to make it to where he was going to set a precedent to where the next time something like that happens, nobody would ever think about going into the stands again," Miami Heat superstar center Shaquille O'Neal said. Certainly the commissioner made no apology for his decision, saying the move to ban Artest for the season was "unanimous ... 1-0". "It was my decision, and I decided it," he said. Artest himself offered an apologetic statement in the wake of his suspension. "It really hurt me to see the children crying on TV, and I think about how it could have been my own kids," he said. "I also regret and apologize to fans who were upset by what happened."
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