NEW YORK (AP) -- Ron Artest was suspended for the rest of the season Sunday, and two of his Indiana Pacers teammates must miss a total of 55 games for fighting with fans during a melee that broke out at the end of a game against the Detroit Pistons.

Overall, the NBA issued some of the harshest penalties in its history by banning nine players for more than 140 games. Artest's suspension is the strongest ever levied for a fight during a game.

"The line is drawn, and my guess is that won't happen again -- certainly not by anybody who wants to be associated with our league," commissioner David Stern said.


The rest of the story is at SI.com


Hopefully, this guy will also be looking at some jail time before this is over....

Well now I guess Artrest can promote his upcoming album without any bball committments :-)

This is guy is a very talented player thats needs a serious head check.

I think the entire season is a bit too much but players going into the stands to get to a fan can not happen....ever. Now I do understand that the fan threw a drink at him and that is kind of dangerous because their jobs depend on them being healthy and the next time it happens who can predict it would only be a drink ?

I can picture Fox putting together a new show right about now.... entitled "When NBA players Attack!"

i think its a little harsh, but it sends a message to the other players.

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'O=00=O'
bmw 2002.
long live the legend

this is total bunk. NBA and the Pisstons are getting away with way too much here. Blaming Ron Artest for everythig seems just too convinient. Where was the security? Why was Reggie Miller suspended? 25 game for O'neal? WTF???

Pisstons are going to be in Indy soon enough. we shall see what happens then.... The person that started all this mess was Ben Wallace and he gets 6 games... give me a break...sheesh...

This ruling basically gives a card blanche to roudy fans... Not cool at all...

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RedMeat cartoon

I don't care what fans do -- professional multi-millionaire athletes cannot attack paying fans under any circumstance. I'll be sorely disappointed is this idiot doesn't face felony charges.

I agree germanstar I think the worst offenders should be fired from the NBA with no more money no nothing done and kicked out the door, I really can't belive they didn't fire any of the players, I know it sounds harsh but go to your place of work and kick the crap out of someone cause they provoked you A little, and seewhat happens to you.More than likley you will get yout walking papers. These guy are supossed to be role models, but it's, funny they act like jerks on interviews totally full of them selves. Your in A high profile postion you should have thought of that before you signed up for the job

looks like no felony. maybe a misdeminor - up to 93 days in jail and a small fine...

look i don't condone A's behaviour at all. He has been trouble ever since Pacers got him. Remember last year? Hell of a shooter though. The blame is not squarily in A's shoulders though. There should have been better security. I think there are other factors besides A. O'Neal got a huge suspention where I don't think it was warranted. Miller was only helping to stop the fight = 1 game.. wtf? from what i have heard the toughest fighting with fans penalty was about half the season. if there are criminal charges brought against all involved fine but i feel a whole season is pretty steep. I really have more of a problem with some of the other peanlties though.

Decimating a championship contender is not a really good way to promote basketball.

The thing I am worried about is that the Colts are probably going to steam roll the Lions in Detroit this Thursday--prime time!! and who knows how that's gonna play out in thug city... as I said above Pisstons are coming to Indy on X-mas day so that should be heck of a present...


-to be continued I'm sure-

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There was another Pacer fighting in the stands -- I assume that was O'Neal -- hence the huge penalty. What this idiot needed to do is really simple. As soon as he felt a threat of any kind from a fan, he should have moved away from the fan toward center court to give security and/or staff an opportunity to get between them. That's what a man would have done -- this guy just punked out somethin' fierce. The NBA should probably require that he get some serious counseling before reinstatement.

On the flipside, the NBA should also take a level of responsibility and stop their practice of drafting children. I don't care how good some of these kids are. They shouldn't be drafting them right out of high school.

I think it was Jackson swinging in the stands. O'Neal might have but it looked to me more like he was trying to prevent others from ripping Artest to shreds. I totaly agree with you on what he should have done and about the counceling thing, big time. Artest was just in the news the week before for the album/tome off thing and has been total distraction to the otherwise great team...

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I guess I will have to disagree with the general consensus. It looked like Arbest was minding his own business laying there on the floor when some ******* threw a beer on him. The other fan throwing the chair was a real peach too. I really thought the fans provoked these guys. Detriot fans are vicious. Their baseball games aren't much better.

It's funny how all the talking heads on TV/Radio are giving rational opinions on what irrational people should have done.

I don't know about you all, but fights are anything but rational, in 99% of the circumstances.

The other 1% being trained Martial artists who don't have fights that last as long and really know what it means to walk away unless there is no other option.

All of the players could have walked away, there was no deadly threat. A beer? Only if you're drinking and driving.

Having said all that. What happens on the floor between players should not be interpreted by fans as happening to them.

The altercation between Artest and Wallace happens 50 times a year, and no riot breaks out.

If the ******* didn't throw the beer, Artest lays in the table. Game over.

What the other players did(Jackson, O'Neal, etc...) was incidental and a direct result of the fan(s) wanting to be in the mix, defending their home team, etc...

Wallace did nothing to no one but Artest, hence "only" 6 games.

Having said all that, Artest has probably had beers and things thrown on him before and could/should have reacted differently by staying put and letting the authorities identify the fan via tape and charge him with assault. Again, he, was not rational at the time, nor were the fans.

1 year is harsh, but given his past, they needed to make an example out of him.

As far as security, they have cops all over the place, as well as in house security. How much more can they have?

1 security guy per person? even if there were 2 guys in the area, they could not have anticipated the beer and gotten there before the melee ensued.

Remember all those Knick Heat Games from years back? Fans never crossed the line........players never had to because of it.

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Enough about me, how are you doing?

Well, let's see -- you're at work representing your employer for $300,000/hour and some idiot who's half your size and doesn't make in a year what you make in an hour throws a beer on you. WGAS? Be a man and walk away. If you can't be a man, you have no business holding such a high profile job.

The unruliness of the Detriot fans is legendary. They probably got what they deserved.

It looked like what one of them was getting was a large piece of Arbest's ass. He deserved it, he has no business up in the stands throwing punches. He even attacked the wrong guy!

For once, I wish I was a personal injury attorney...........