Players Suspended, Warned
Tagged in: NBL
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Auckland Stars forward Casey Frank and Wellington Saints import Bakari Hendrix are on official notice after their ejections from a fiery NBL encounter in Wellington on Thursday.
Both players were involved in a struggle that spilled into the corridor after they were tossed from the game during the final quarter of Aucklandís 108-106 win.
After considering game reports and video evidence, Basketball New Zealand has handed mandatory one-game stand downs to Frank and Hendrix for their ejections, and issued formal written warnings that reprimand them and stipulate that any further infractions this season will result in potentially season-ending suspensions.
Basketball New Zealand chief executive Bryn McGoldrick emphasized the sportís abhorrence of violence and hoped the penalty would serve as a warning to all participants in the game.
ìBasketball in this country does not have a history of aggression and fighting, and our message is that it is not acceptable.
ìIn the past three years, the league has seen one judicial intervention (2006) and at that time, we found our regulations werenít robust enough to deal effectively to any issues that arose.
ìOur new rules give us immediate redress and allow the NBL to send a clear message that the league will not tolerate violence and unsportsmanlike behaviour.î
Despite several media requests for game footage to be released, BBNZ has decided not to do so.
ìWe have no wish to promote the type of behaviour that has necessitated this penalty,î said McGoldrick.
ìThe incident is not a good advertisement for basketball. Our game is recognised as physical, but safe, and our senior players have an obligation to promote the game as an athletic, but vigorous activity.î
