The National Basketball Players Association will launch an investigation into the arrests of Hawks players Thabo Sefolosha and Pero Antic along with Sefolosha's suffering of a torn fibula. This injury has caused Sefolosha to be ruled out for the rest of the NBA season.
A police report by the NYPD claims that officers asked Sefolosha and Antic six times to clear the area so they could form a crime scene. The crime scene was a result of the stabbing of the Pacers' Chris Copeland. The incident took place in front of NYC's 1Oak nightclub. Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Sefolosha charged the officers in an "aggressive manner."
NYPD officer Johnpaul Giancona described the incident between officers and Sefolosha: “When I approached the defendant to place him under arrest for the above described conduct, I observed the defendant flail his arms, twist his body, kick his legs, and struggle against me making it difficult for me to place handcuffs on him and complete the arrest. It took four officers to place the defendant in handcuffs.” During Antic's arrest, he “grabbed his left shoulder, making it difficult to assist in the arrest.”
Sefolosha and Antic were charged with misdemeanors for "obstructing governmental administration." Both of them have a scheduled court date of June 16th. Both NBA players have decided to go against these charges. Alex Spiro, attorney for both Sefolosha and Antic, said "they should not have been arrested" and that he "fully expects the case to be dismissed."
NBA spokeswoman Tara Greco weighed in on the situation: "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 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."
Kevin Ornovotz of ESPN.com detailed the situation regarding Sefolosha's broken fibula. "The police are facing new questions about their tactics during the incident, as Sefolosha suffered a season-ending broken fibula, which went untreated overnight and into Wednesday as Sefolosha languished in custody." He went on to say "Privately, sources say, Hawks officials also have begun to raise questions about the specific circumstances that led to Sefolosha being held by police for several hours with a broken fibula."
Antic will continue to play for the Hawks as the team gears up for the playoffs as the number one team in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta will miss Sefolosha's defensive prowess as the Hawks give up 101 PPG when he's off the court as to 95 PPG when he is on the court.
Check out the footage by TMZ below that displays the arrests of Sefolosha and Antic.