NBA: Arrest and injury of Hawk’s Sefolosha spark concerns
NEW YORK, United States – The NBA Players Association and reportedly the league itself are looking into the arrest of Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha in New York.
Swiss-born Sefolosha and Hawks team-mate Pero Antic of Macedonia were charged with resisting arrest at a New York night club in the pre-dawn hours on Wednesday.
Both have said they will contest the charges.
Sefolosha suffered a season-ending broken right leg and ligament damage somewhere in the process.
Videos posted on celebrity website TMZ showed police aggressively trying to restrain him and taking him to the ground.
One video shows an officer wielding a baton, but it was unclear if Sefolosha was hit, nor is it known when his leg was injured.
Police say Sefolosha refused multiple orders to disperse and charged an officer.
“The players union is concerned about the circumstances of Thabo Sefolosha and Pero Antic’s arrest and is doing its own investigation of the situation,” the union said in a statement on Friday.
“The union was fully engaged in supporting all three players in court and in the precinct this week, and will continue to stay engaged as each situation evolves.”
On Saturday, NBA spokesman Michael Bass told ESPN the league was also looking into the matter.
“We are working with the Hawks organization and local law enforcement to obtain more information about the circumstances surrounding Thabo’s arrest,” he said.
The incident occurred at the 1 OAK nightclub, where Indiana Pacers player Chris Copeland and two women were stabbed outside the club, but Antic said they were not with Copeland, who required surgery for wounds to the abdomen and arm.
Police said the two Hawks players interfered with attempts to set up a crime scene after the stabbing.
“We didn’t have anything to do with what happened with that,” Antic said. “We weren’t together. We didn’t see the guy. Whatever happened, happened way before.”
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