Indiana Pacers Involved In Another Brawl...This Time In A Club!!!

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Pacers silent on Stephen Jackson's status

Updated 10/8/2006 11:39 PM ET
By Roscoe Nance, USA TODAY

Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle on Sunday was mum about whether swingman Stephen Jackson will be punished for his role in a shooting incident outside an Indianapolis strip club early Friday morning.
But Carlisle did say that he was disappointed that Jackson and teammates Jamaal Tinsley, Marquis Daniels and Jimmie "Snap" Hunter put themselves in position for the incident to occur.

"Our guys made an error in judgment," Carlisle said, adding that any punishment is an internal matter and will be kept in house. "They were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

The incident began with a verbal exchange inside Club Rio and carried over into the parking lot, according to the police report. Jackson fired five shots from a 9 mm handgun after a man punched him in the face and tried to run him over with a car outside the club at 3 a.m. Marion County (Ind.) prosecutors are evaluating the case and will decide if Jackson will face charges. Jackson has said he fired the shots to protect himself.

A small amount marijuana, enough for one or two cigarettes, was found on the passenger side of Tinsley's car, police said. No one was arrested because police couldn't link the drug to any specific person.

The incident comes as the Pacers are trying to overcome the black eye they suffered from the brawl with Detroit Pistons fans almost two years ago. Jackson was suspended for 30 games for his role in the incident.

"We're disappointed on the one hand," said Carlisle, who last week was given a bigger role by the Pacers in handling disciplinary matters. "But on the other hand we're fortunate he's OK. A life-threatening situation was averted.

"We talk to the guys all the time about who they are, where they go, the hours they keep and how important it is to have discretion. Earning and maintaining professionalism is a day-to-day task."

Jackson suffered bruises and went to the hospital, where he had stitches to close cuts on his mouth. He hasn't participated in practice since the incident and didn't take part in the Pacers' Fan Jam on Sunday. Carlisle said he spoke to Jackson late Saturday and that he was feeling better. However, there is no timetable for his return.

"We have to continue to focus on basketball and prepare for a difficult season," Carlisle said.





Interesting...Looks like Stephen Jackson is one of those players who can't stay away from "thuggin"...And LOL@the pigs not linking the weed to anyone when it was found in Tinsley's car...
 

[The Big Bad Ass]

I hope we cut him. The fans here in Indiana want his blood right now lol.

[WC Iz Active]

I hope we cut him. The fans here in Indiana want his blood right now lol.

That would be incredibly stupid to cut Jackson if you are the Indiana Pacers.  He is fearless, loves the pressure of taking big shots, and has scored 17 points a game on average the last 2 years while being extremely durable.  His attitude sucks alot of the time but to cut him and get nothing in return is horrible.

[The Big Bad Ass]

No one wants to be the next trail blazers. Cut him, deal with a potential bad season, get a decent draft and move on. We stuck it out with Ron Artest after his actions in Detroit, and look where that got us. What the rest of the NBA fans outside of Indiana do not realize is the multi million dollar campain that has circulated through the state that keeps talking about how the team has got thier act together. How they can become the role models they need to be ect..... then the mother fucker goes out to a strip club at 3:00 am on a night before training camp.... in a neighborhood that warrented 3 of them to be strapped!!! And then gets into this shit. Then throw in pot, and this is just a fucking PR nightmare. His fearlessness ect isn't worth the black eye he will continue to give the franchise. We don't want to scare away players from coming to this team just like Portland has done for the last almost decade now. Sometimes a stat line does not matter in the overall scheme of things. I'm not saying anyone is wrong, just letting you know my opinion as a die hard pacers fan who has been that way, and lived in Indy for over 18 years. This is a bad bad situation. We've already had almost half of our season ticket holders opt out of next years tickets. Gonna be a rough year as a pacers fan if we keep Jax around. Love the dudes game, hate what he's doing to this team. 

[wcsoldier]

This team is gangsta 

[Don Jacob]

oh well it's the new pacer era, this isn't your dad's rick smits pacers anymore

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

No one wants to be the next trail blazers. Cut him, deal with a potential bad season, get a decent draft and move on. We stuck it out with Ron Artest after his actions in Detroit, and look where that got us. What the rest of the NBA fans outside of Indiana do not realize is the multi million dollar campain that has circulated through the state that keeps talking about how the team has got thier act together. How they can become the role models they need to be ect..... then the mother fucker goes out to a strip club at 3:00 am on a night before training camp.... in a neighborhood that warrented 3 of them to be strapped!!! And then gets into this shit. Then throw in pot, and this is just a fucking PR nightmare. His fearlessness ect isn't worth the black eye he will continue to give the franchise. We don't want to scare away players from coming to this team just like Portland has done for the last almost decade now. Sometimes a stat line does not matter in the overall scheme of things. I'm not saying anyone is wrong, just letting you know my opinion as a die hard pacers fan who has been that way, and lived in Indy for over 18 years. This is a bad bad situation. We've already had almost half of our season ticket holders opt out of next years tickets. Gonna be a rough year as a pacers fan if we keep Jax around. Love the dudes game, hate what he's doing to this team. 

I agree, but cutting him wouldn't be too bright...At least trade him, because his contract isn't even that big and he's an all-star caliber player. An organization like the Indiana Pacers should never settle for missing the playoffs, and though it's better than having the reputation of the Trailblazers, cutting a key player like Stephen Jackson REALLY won't do much for your franchise...PeACe

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Jackson Apologizes For Incident

By Conrad Brunner | Oct. 10, 2006

Stephen Jackson returned to practice Tuesday and issued a heartfelt apology for his role in last week's nightclub incident.
Jackson was one of four players, along with Jamaal Tinsley, Marquis Daniels and Jimmie "Snap" Hunter, who were involved in an altercation in a nightclub parking lot early Friday morning. Jackson, who was punched in the mouth and struck by a car, required several stitches in his upper lip but otherwise escaped serious injury. He is not expected to play in Wednesday's preseason opener against New Jersey in Conseco Fieldhouse but could return Saturday against Utah.

"First of all, I want to start off by saying I'm sorry for this incident," Jackson said. "I want to apologize to my teammates, to the fans and this organization. It was definitely an unfortunate incident. I know for me, I worked hard this summer to get myself physically and mentally ready for this season and to come out to help this team be the best it could be this year and it was an unfortunate incident. Obviously, I'm definitely blessed to be here today. I didn't really think I'd be waking up the next morning after I got hit by a far being able to walk but I'm definitely blessed to be here and I understand, I take responsibility for my actions and everything I've done. And for that, I'm sorry and I do apologize for it.

"Hopefully, I can just move on from this and continue to be the player that this team wants me to be and this organization wants me to be and kind of put this behind me. Like I said, I hate that it happened. I am sorry for it. I haven't been in any trouble in my career before the Detroit incident to now. I haven't had a criminal record or anything. I'm just happy to be back on the court, happy that I'm alive and able to be with my teammates and my family, and hopefully I can get this behind me, move on and try to get ready for the season."

Shortly after Jackson made his statement, President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird addressed the media for the first time since the incident.

"What we have to do is wait for the police to get done with their investigation and we'll go from there," Bird said. "As an organization we haven't had a lot of comments about what happened because we don't know what happened. We don't know the full story. Are we disappointed? We're very disappointed, and it hurts. If you care about this franchise and you're a part of it, it's got to hurt."

Jackson, who missed four days of practice, participated in more of the practice session than expected, going through light and medium contact work. He did not participate in full-contact sessions.

"He's just happy to be back around," said Al Harrington. "(The players were) just happy to have him back around because he's part of our family."

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Reggie Miller Criticizes The Pacers.

By Conrad Brunner | Oct. 10, 2006

The man who drafted Reggie Miller and nearly two decades later retired his No. 31 jersey was stung by the former Pacers player's criticism of the team and franchise in the aftermath of the nightclub incident.

"It hurts me," Walsh said.

A guest on Dan Patrick's ESPN radio show Monday, Miller called the incident "a punch in the gut for Donnie Walsh and Larry Bird" and went on to criticize the players for rallying around Jackson, who he said was "slapping you guys in the face" with his actions.

Bird said he hadn't heard Miller's interview, saying only, "I don't comment on Reggie's comments."

Though Rick Carlisle also was a target as Miller suggested his practices weren't tough enough if players had enough energy to frequent nightclubs during training camp, the coach chose not to debate his former standout.

"I have unbelievable respect for Reggie Miller both as a player and a person and I consider him a friend," Carlisle said. "He's obviously earned the right to have an opinion but what I can tell you is, from a basketball standpoint, we're doing everything possible to develop this team to be the best it can be and I'll leave it at that."

[The Big Bad Ass]

^^ I agree that cutting him really is not feasable. We'd have to eat 7 mil a year for another 4 or 5 years if that were the decision. I just don't see us being able to get anything in return for jax at this point. Still pretty upset about the whole situation. Hopefully the team can generate some wins early so we don't take to big a hit from our fan base. If the season starts and the Pacers drop several, that would be bad news for the team, because the fans already seem hostile towards this squad. Hopefully JO can stay healthy this year, and maybe Tinsley finally gets it together. His "illness/injury" issues over the last 3 years has been absolutly maddening. Fucker has missed nearly 100 games in his career due to "flu like symptoms" and "allergies". Very trying as a fan to deal with his ass sitting on the bench soaking up 6 mil plus a year and missing due to those problems while players like Jordan were playing on the court half dead some of the time. Reggie Miller weighed 25 pounds and looked like a freaking aids patient, but he got balls deep into every game regardless of if he had some pain or was sick. We were truely spoiled with the teams we had in the 90s. If MJ never existed, we would have easily had 3 or 4 titles. This team is so far from that its sad. And now they've been together for 5 years plus, and still can't gel.

[Stone Cold is Bout It, Bout It]

LMAO..I just saw Stephen Jackson on ESPN News and his Lips are swollen like muthafucka 

Check out the Video clip..

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2620372

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Jackson Being Charged in Club Incident

By CLIFF BRUNT

INDIANAPOLIS Oct 11, 2006 (AP)— Indiana Pacers guard Stephen Jackson was charged Wednesday with a felony count of criminal recklessness and two misdemeanor counts from last week's confrontation outside a strip club.

The charges were announced by Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi five days after the fight involving Jackson and three Pacers teammates against others at the club. Jackson was punched in the mouth and hit by a car and police say he fired a gun in the air at least five times.

Jackson apologized for the fight on Tuesday, saying he was "happy to be alive." His comments came hours after police arrested another man on several charges in connection with the fight.

The other charges against Jackson are disorderly conduct and battery, Brizzi said.

A message seeking comment about the charges was left for a Pacers spokesman.

Indianapolis police on Tuesday arrested Deon Willford, 23, on felony counts of criminal recklessness and leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, and a misdemeanor count of driving without a license for the fight.

Willford drove a car that hit Jackson, sending him tumbling over the hood, police Sgt. Matthew Mount said. Police said Jackson fired a gun in the air in apparent self-defense during the fight about 3 a.m. Friday.

Jackson returned to the Pacers' training camp on Tuesday stitches in his lip and other scrapes and bruises.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

LMAO...


Bag in Pacer's vehicle will be tested for DNA-
Police hope to determine pot's owner

By Vic Ryckaert
vic.ryckaert@indystar.com

A plastic bag containing marijuana found in the car of an Indiana Pacers point guard will be tested for DNA, officials said Tuesday.
Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi's office ordered the test in hopes of determining who the bag belonged to. The bag, which
contained a small amount of marijuana, was tested for fingerprints, but none could be recovered.
The bag was found in Pacers player Jamaal Tinsley's car after a disturbance at a strip club early Friday. The disturbance involved Tinsley, three other Pacers and at least three other men at the club, but Tinsley has said the bag did not belong to him.
On Tuesday, one man was charged in the fight, a second was questioned but not arrested, and a third man was still being sought. Officials have said the Pacers involved in the incident were victims, and none were charged.
Tinsley and Pacers Stephen Jackson, Marquis Daniels and Jimmie "Snap" Hunter were leaving Club Rio, 5054 W. 38th St., when police say Jackson fired five shots from a 9 mm handgun after a man punched him in the face and tried to run him over with an Oldsmobile.
Jackson told officers he fired all five shots into the air, an account police are still checking out. Officers seized his handgun and guns found in the cars of Tinsley and Daniels. Police said all have valid permits.
A tip to CrimeStoppers led Indianapolis police to the man they say drove the car that struck Jackson.
Deon "Dino" Willford, 23, Indianapolis, was arrested about 1 a.m. Tuesday on initial charges of criminal recklessness, leaving the scene of an accident and driving without a license, police said. He was held in the Marion County Jail on $100,000 bond, records show.
Another person was questioned in connection with the incident, but he was not arrested. Police are still investigating a third man linked to the incident, Sgt. Matthew Mount said.
Willford has a police record.
Police have said Jackson appeared to be firing in self-defense. Marion County prosecutors will evaluate the evidence.
The DNA test will cost taxpayers $800, said Mike Medler, director Indianapolis-Marion County Forensic Services Agency.
Such tests are commonly requested when officers seize large quantities of drugs, but experts say it is very rare for authorities to look for DNA in a misdemeanor case.
Officials did not say why the DNA test was ordered in this case.
Officers found Willford and the other man at an apartment in the 7200 block of Kingsford Drive, Mount said. Both surrendered and cooperated with police.
Police are withholding Willford's picture until the Pacers and other witnesses have a chance to view a photo lineup, Mount said.
Jackson suffered bruises and had stitches to close cuts on his mouth. He was not seriously hurt but rested Tuesday during the team's afternoon practice.
Part of the incident was captured on Club Rio's security camera, Mount said. The grainy video shows Jackson firing one shot in the air, then getting struck by the car, Mount said. The other events occurred outside the camera's view.

[Black_Smoke]

lol indiana is straight gangsta haha 

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Walsh, Bird Address Jackson’s Status

Oct. 11, 2006-
Pacers guard Stephen Jackson was charged with felony criminal recklessness and misdemeanor counts of battery and disorderly conduct by the Marion County prosecutor for his role in an incident outside an Indianapolis nightclub last week. None of the other players involved in the incident (Jamaal Tinsley, Marquis Daniels and Jimmie "Snap" Hunter, were charged. In response to the filing of the charges, Pacers CEO and President Donnie Walsh and President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird conducted a question-and-answer session with the media.

DONNIE WALSH

Q. How disappointed are you by this incident?
A. I'm very disappointed. I think we all spent a lot of time during the summer understanding that we came through two years where we had problems, the Detroit brawl and then the way our team performed last year. We went out and tried to change the team in a very dramatic way, the best way that we could and I think we felt really optimistic that we had a lot of good guys coming in here and the combination of those players and the players we had would change the atmosphere in the locker room. I think, going through the first week of practice before this incident, both Larry and I were overjoyed because it looked like we had that. This came as a jolt to us that this incident occurred. We know our players were wrong for being out late at night in a nightclub. Past that, we really didn't know what took place after that. We've been kind of trying to hear and read exactly what took place. I can't say we're caught by surprise that charges were brought because there was enough in what I heard that they could've been. That's kind of where we are right now.

Q. What is Jackson's status with the team?
A. In situations like this where there have been charges brought, as our statement said there's a presumption of innocence and the normal course in the NBA has been to let the player play until it's resolved. And then, if there's any punishment or action that's going to be taken, it will be taken after that time.

Q. Did the players lie to you in recounting their original stories of what happened?
A.I don't know what happened at the club and I didn't really talk to the players about what happened at the club. I was piecing it together from newspaper articles and a little bit from lawyers and people like that. So I really didn't know what the story was but no they never lied to me.

Q. How damaging is this to the fan base?
A.I think it's hurt quite a lot because I think during the summer we got out and tried to change the team and we communicated that and I was very optimistic they were going to like this team a lot and I still am in that regard. But I think this incident has kind of tarnished everything and so we're going to have to overcome that. The only way to overcome that is by our behavior as a team and also by our play on the court. That's the only thing left for us to do. That's what we have to do.

Q. Have you said anything to the players about maintaining their focus on basketball?
A. I think they've been doing that and at least in my case I've been trying to follow what's been going on with this so much that I haven't been as attentive to that. I've gone to practice and I really like what I see. The team is playing very hard. The day after this occurred we had a practice and I was wondering if there would be a downturn and there wasn't. They went out and played really hard, were focused on what they were doing so I was really pleased with how they were reacting because I wasn't reacting like that at that point. We'll continue to do that. I do like the attitude this team has shown. I think Jermaine O'Neal has provided a lot of leadership in the way he's come into the season and the way he's conducted himself during this, the work that he's put in and the fact he's working harder than anyone. That is always a great sign for your team because if he's doing it, the other players will do it.

Q. Can you win back the fans with Jackson on the roster?
A.I hope so because I think we're in a position now that American fair play dictates that we go forward like this. There has been precedent in the league, which I'm not going to mention to embarrass other franchises, you all know. We're going to have to try to do that. It'll come back to what we thought before this incident, that Stephen was coming in focused, ready to play, he understood some of the things we talked about as far as people that felt negatively about and he was going to try to change those things. Those things will have to be done now.

Q. Given the strong reputation built by the franchise over the previous two decades, how disappointing is it to be in this position?
A. It's been heartbreaking to be honest with you because I always thought we had a good franchise and I was proud of that. And that's taken quite a hit in the last three years. And so, yeah, I feel very, very bad about that.

Q. When the court case is adjudicated, do you expect Jackson to be subject to punishment by the NBA?
A. I don't know that. When I talked to the league they told me what happens in the majority of cases. But there was no hard, fast, 'This is the way it's going to be dealt with.' We'll be in touch with the league to find out what their feelings are about this.

Q. Do you have the ability to require the players involved to take a drug test?
A. I don't know if we do. I'm not sure. These things are dealt with by the league and we don't even know they're taking place.

Q. How concerned are you that drugs were involved in the incident?
A.Again, I don't have the facts of the case but our understanding is none of our players had anything to do with any drugs that were found in this case. That's exactly what I've heard. Again, I'm hearing it third-party. I'm not hearing it directly from anybody.

Q. Before the season began, did you believe Jackson could turn the corner this year?
A. I felt confident that he could because we talked during the summer and I didn't get into anything like what's happened but I talked to him about some of the things I thought were negative and why he was being perceived in a negative way. He basically told me at a certain point that, 'Hey, I've sat down, looked at myself, I'm not going to let myself get emotional' – we're talking about during the games and all – 'and that I'm not going to be doing some of the things I did before.' It isn't like I bought it 100 percent but I thought, 'OK, let's see how this goes' and I felt better that he realizes there are issues here.

Q. Is there a point where, for lack of a better phrase, you "cut bait" with Stephen?
A. Once this legal process takes place, I don't think you cut bait if you're talking about termination of a contract or something like that. I don't think that'd be available to us. I'm not going to imply we would do that. Right now I'm focused on the fact there've been charges made, there's a presumption of innocence and we'll honor that and do pretty much what other teams have done in our situation.

Q. Have you been given any indication how long the legal process will last?
A. No, I really haven't. I'm not sure at all. I don't think it's going to happen in the next couple of weeks but I don't know what the time frame is.

Q. In the meantime, is Jackson a member of the team and can play as long as he's healthy?
A. Yes. In other words, he's on the team, he's presumed innocent until adjudged otherwise so, yes, he'll be practicing and playing.

Q. From what you know of the incident, were team rules violated and if not should stricter rules be put in place?
A. As far as team rules, yes, being out late in a nightclub at the hours they were in, that would've become an internal thing. If that's all that would've happened, we would've done something internally as far as fines or at the most a suspension. When you add this other stuff, no. We never anticipated anything like that. And that's more of a legal situation than what you would cover in team rules.

Q. So the team hasn't done anything in terms of punishing players, or is that still being decided?
A. As you know, we didn't really know what took place. We didn't know how this would be resolved. We were waiting to see what's going to happen here before we went in and said, 'OK, this is what you get.' I'm sure we'll do that.

Q. Does the conventional NBA contract have morals clause and what are options once this is adjudicated?
A. There are options then, yeah. It goes all the way from suspension to termination if there's a conviction, but not based on charges.

Q. If there is a conviction, would you have the option of terminating his contract?
A. Yeah, I think that's in the contract.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LARRY BIRD

Q. What affect do you think this will have on the younger players?
A. Obviously we're in a position right now where we've got to regroup. I think the younger guys look up to some of the older guys. I know that's the way it was when I played. I don't think they understand it but after we talk about it and go forward, I think they'll understand there's places you don't want to be. You don't want to be out late at night because you are a target. And I think they'll learn from this.

Q. Does this hurt more, knowing you have stood behind Jackson?
A. When we bring these players in we're around them a lot and we really see the real person. It's an unfortunate incident but the one thing about Stephen is he's been working very hard. He came in in the right frame of mind. We made some changes here that made us a better team in our view and it's disappointing any time your players get into some trouble. But the one thing about is we'll let it run its course, we'll take a hard look at it and after that we'll make a decision on what we have to do. I know the question is going to come up, 'Will you trade Stephen Jackson?' We've said this before: we'll trade anybody if we know it's going to make us a better team.

Q. Having been through the distractions of the last two years, what impact do you think this will have on the team?
A. This is a big impact, there's no question about it. I'm sure our season ticket holders are very frustrated with us right now. But they've got to believe in us. They've got to believe we're going to do the right things, and we will do that. It's just going to take some time. We've just got to concentrate on getting this team better and putting a product out on the court they'll be proud of.

Q. Have you talked with Stephen since the charges were filed and what was his reaction?
A. We talked to him very briefly when his lawyer was present. He was very upset. He knows it's a major embarrassment for the franchise. He's taking it very hard. We hope we can all overcome this, which we will, and get Stephen back out on the court soon. But this is a big blow for Stephen. He didn't expect this.

Q. Has the team heard from the NBA about potential punishments?
A. We've been in contact with them. Commissioner Stern's over in Europe and we're staying in close contact but we haven't heard anything as of today.

Q. If Jackson is unable to play, how can he be replaced?
A. Marquis Daniels is fighting a little injury now and he's trying to get in shape but we brought him in here for a reason and that's to come in with the second unit and score points. And I think James White will be able to come in and do some things, and we've got Rawle Marshall. We've got players that can come in and score points. Obviously, Jack (scores) 18 a game so you'll need the other guys to make up for that. Jack's valuable to our team but we think we can get by without him for the short term.