Indiana Pacers player O’Neal’s suspension cut by 10 games over role in brawl; Artest’s ban stays
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, December 21, 2004
NEW YORK – Jermaine O’Neal won a 10-game reduction Wednesday in his suspension for fighting with fans during the Nov. 19 Pacers-Pistons brawl, but an arbitrator upheld NBA commissioner David Stern’s bans on Ron Artest and two other Indiana players.
Arbitrator Roger Kaplan’s decision could make O’Neal eligible to return Saturday, when the Pacers host the Detroit Pistons in the teams’ first matchup since one of the most violent melees in NBA history.
But the NBA said it would go to federal court to challenge Kaplan’s decision. It had refused to participate in the arbitration hearing Kaplan conducted Dec. 9, saying only the commissioner, not Kaplan, had jurisdiction to arbitrate penalties for on-court behavior.
In a 28-page decision, Kaplan upheld Artest’s season-long suspension and the penalties given to Stephen Jackson (30 games) and Anthony Johnson (five games). O’Neal’s ban was reduced from 25 games to 15.
“We’re extremely pleased that Jermaine will have the opportunity to play, although we respectfully disagree with the decision on the other three players,” players’ union director Billy Hunter said. “We are also pleased that the arbitrator has affirmed the right of players to appeal disciplinary measures.”
A hearing on the NBA’s challenge of the decision was set for Thursday. The NBA had already filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court challenging Kaplan’s authority to hear the grievance in the first place.
The arbitrator heard testimony and reviewed videotape of the 12-minute brawl, in which Artest sprinted into the stands and confronted a fan he believed had thrown a drink at him. Jackson also went into the stands and exchanged punches with fans, while O’Neal and Johnson punched fans who came onto the court.
Five Pacers players and seven fans face criminal charges, mostly misdemeanor assault and battery.
Indiana has lost nine of 14 games since the brawl, using patchwork lineups in an effort to make up for the suspension of three of the team’s five leading scorers.
