What's Your Take on the Antonio Davis Situation?

Jair · 01-19-2006, 02:24 PM

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2298240

During a timeout, he saw a drunken fan threaten his wife (according to him), and both he and Larry Brown said his wife was falling back, so Davis entered the stands to go see what was going on. He was ejected from the game, and they are going to be making a ruling on his situation, with maybe a suspension and a fine.

Personally, while I understand athletes shouldn't enter the stands, this is an entirely different scenario, where Davis didn't throw any punches or anything. He simply walked up to his wife and talked. Look at what one idiot fan has to say:

Quote:

Originally Posted by I'm a Jackass

Rod (Crescent City, FL): This is an outrage and the League must step up and do as it has said it would. It needs a hard-line, no-excuses take on the punishment: 25 games minumum, maybe even the rest of the year. Message: THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTION OR EXCUSE OR REASON TO ENTER THE STANDS, AND IF YOU DO, EXPECT YOUR SEASON TO END IMMEDIATELY. PERIOD.

I like the idea of Davis being fined, and then the Bulls offering to pay it because of their stupid fan.

bigphesta · 01-19-2006, 02:26 PM

They have security guards for a reason.

sebastian0622 · 01-19-2006, 02:26 PM

One more reason coaches always tell athletes not to put their eyes in the stands.

spleen1015 · 01-19-2006, 02:27 PM

No way I do anything different. He did the right thing. I'm not trusting a security guard in a situation like this.

Jair · 01-19-2006, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigphesta

They have security guards for a reason.

Security guards at sports events are like most OT posters at work;, they don't do anything. The fact that he was already a) drunk b) threatening her and c) having the situation escalate to this point shows that the security wasn't doing their job. If Davis can get there in five seconds, then surely the security should have been there.

BaseballMan · 01-19-2006, 02:36 PM

I think he should be fined and suspended but only because if the league doesnt then it may give other players the impression that they can use it as an excuse to go into the stands. I mean i understand why Davis did it and i dont think the fine should be a whole lot but because it is a rule and he broke it, i think the league is obligated to uphold its rule.

Sublimity · 01-19-2006, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BaseballMan

I think he should be fined and suspended but only because if the league doesnt then it may give other players the impression that they can use it as an excuse to go into the stands. I mean i understand why Davis did it and i dont think the fine should be a whole lot but because it is a rule and he broke it, i think the league is obligated to uphold its rule.

"

Pretty much exactly what I was going to say. You don't suspend him just for this incident. You also suspend him to stop other people from having excuses in the future.

marioh · 01-19-2006, 02:45 PM

That was just a bizarre situation.

IMO, he should be fined and suspended for going into the stands, but I don't blame him for doing so (according to his and his family's account of what was going on).

mh2365 · 01-19-2006, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marioh

That was just a bizarre situation.

IMO, he should be fined and suspended for going into the stands, but I don't blame him for doing so (according to his and his family's account of what was going on).

I agree 100%, you have to fine him and suspend him but not much maybe 5 games. He did what was right and that fan should have his season tickets revoked or but put alone in a room with Davis for 5 minutes, but you still have to take a hit for going into the stands.

sebastian0622 · 01-19-2006, 02:58 PM

This is basically the ol' "would you steal a prescription to save your wife" standby. Basically, is it ethical to break a rule if the ethical benefit of breaking the rule is greater than the ethical malice of breaking the rule?

As others have said, the best compromise is probably a somewhat lenient fine and suspension.

jgross68 · 01-19-2006, 03:01 PM

It sucks that the league will pretty much have to suspend him because I totally understand why he did what he did. But the rule is crystal clear and after the Artest incident, Stern can't afford to go with anything but a zero-tolerance policy. Chris Sheridan writes on ESPN.com that he'll probably get eight games, which in turn will cost him about $1 million in salary.

As an aside, I once lived in the same building as Antonio Davis in Indianapolis. He's a really good guy and I respect him for standing up for his family. Drunk a**hole fans suck. Especially for us Pacers fans.

LongTooth · 01-19-2006, 03:18 PM

I'd like to say give him a pat on the back, but you just can't send that message. You have to suspend him for at least a few games. More importantly, I think you have to fire the security company and put all the league's security companies on notice that if this happens again that you'll go even further. This cannot be tolerated.

Jair · 01-19-2006, 03:38 PM

OK, more importantly, why is Davis making almost 14 million per season?

This will lead me to another point, that Brian Scalabrine will approximately make 15 million dollars over the next five years to wave a towel from the bench. Wouldn't it be nice if he donated, oh I don't know, 14 million of that to schools and such?

Sublimity · 01-19-2006, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jair

OK, more importantly, why is Davis making almost 14 million per season?

This will lead me to another point, that Brian Scalabrine will approximately make 15 million dollars over the next five years to wave a towel from the bench. Wouldn't it be nice if he donated, oh I don't know, 14 million of that to schools and such?

Well, you have to remember, he's on the Knicks, run by Isiah Thomas. There is no logic.

Dxgarnett · 01-19-2006, 06:10 PM

Fine.

That's it.

End of story.

He didn't harm anybody, so there's no reason he should be given anything other than a fine.

DiMaggio5CF · 01-19-2006, 06:22 PM

Acceptable. I would expect anyone to do it. Going to the aid of your family is nothing to be punished for. That said, he has to take a small suspension, but it shouldn't be anything big.

Davis went into the stands because he saw a problem and wanted to make sure it didn't escalate and/or was taken care of. He didn't go in to start a fight, he didn't go in yelling, and he didn't go in because someone threw a paper cup at him. He saw a potential problem with his (at least relatively) defenseless family, and he went to make sure they were alright. No harm in that.

Going into the stands to start trouble has to be punished, regardless of whether or not the player was provoked. That should be a zero-tolerance policy, or at least close to it.

Going into the stands for any reason should be taken in a case-by-case basis. There should not be penalties for players who go into the stands for legitimate reasons.

What if a player goes into the stands to help a fan who was choking on a hotdog? Are we going to end his season because he went into the stands? Under a zero-tolerance policy for going into the stands, period, we would.

He should be suspended for a few games because he did go into the stands, and the reasoning was debatable, but he shouldn't be hit with a blanket penalty.

TC Dale · 01-19-2006, 06:24 PM

Lot of the news coming from NY, says the Commish will lay the hammer down on this.

Hope not, but, Davis going up to help his wife in the stands isn't Artest beating the crap out of someone in Detroit.

rem · 01-19-2006, 06:32 PM

Five games. That's according to Sportstalk980 radio.

marioh · 01-19-2006, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by remangiii

Five games. That's according to Sportstalk980 radio.

"

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/bre...p-326050c.html

Sublimity · 01-19-2006, 06:55 PM

I think the five games is fair. Sends a message that it's not tolerated, but it's not too extreme. I was thinking along the lines of two, but this is probably better.

01-19-2006, 03:01 PM	#11
jgross68 All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: ....is everything! OTA: .882, Member #866 Posts: 690	It sucks that the league will pretty much have to suspend him because I totally understand why he did what he did. But the rule is crystal clear and after the Artest incident, Stern can't afford to go with anything but a zero-tolerance policy. Chris Sheridan writes on ESPN.com that he'll probably get eight games, which in turn will cost him about $1 million in salary. As an aside, I once lived in the same building as Antonio Davis in Indianapolis. He's a really good guy and I respect him for standing up for his family. Drunk a*hole fans suck. Especially for us Pacers fans. __________________ Javier Gustavo Ruprecht Oss LXVIII* Bizarro-Gastric ReFlux Emeritus Judo Purist and Supporter of Monkey Rodeo Leagues: OTBL \| ABC \| OCHO \| Off The Wall (Coming Soon!) Blogs: The Legacy of Tony Womack \| How We Got Enron! ...the musical (Now even less frequently updated!) Topical quote for any occasion: "Never wear your best trousers when you go out to fight for freedom and truth." ~Henrik Ibsen, "An Enemy of the People" Last edited by jgross68; 01-19-2006 at 03:02 PM.

01-19-2006, 03:38 PM	#13
Jair Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 165	OK, more importantly, why is Davis making almost 14 million per season? This will lead me to another point, that Brian Scalabrine will approximately make 15 million dollars over the next five years to wave a towel from the bench. Wouldn't it be nice if he donated, oh I don't know, 14 million of that to schools and such? __________________ HPBL - KC Royals GM

01-19-2006, 06:10 PM	#15
Dxgarnett All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Houston Posts: 614	Fine. That's it. End of story. He didn't harm anybody, so there's no reason he should be given anything other than a fine. __________________ Buckcheeks was here.

01-19-2006, 06:24 PM	#17
TC Dale Global Moderator Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 4,960	Lot of the news coming from NY, says the Commish will lay the hammer down on this. Hope not, but, Davis going up to help his wife in the stands isn't Artest beating the crap out of someone in Detroit. __________________ ----------------------------------

01-19-2006, 06:32 PM	#18
rem Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: College Park, Md. Posts: 5,024	Five games. That's according to Sportstalk980 radio. __________________ OTBA: Washington Filibusters CLBR: Minnesota Twins 2005 Winner of LL's Pick the Loser Contest! - 15-0

01-19-2006, 02:26 PM	#2
bigphesta Banned Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Des Moines, Iowa Posts: 1,366	They have security guards for a reason.

01-19-2006, 02:26 PM	#3
sebastian0622 Banned Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 3,465	One more reason coaches always tell athletes not to put their eyes in the stands.

01-19-2006, 02:27 PM	#4
spleen1015 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 6,000	No way I do anything different. He did the right thing. I'm not trusting a security guard in a situation like this.

01-19-2006, 02:36 PM	#6
BaseballMan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 6,522	I think he should be fined and suspended but only because if the league doesnt then it may give other players the impression that they can use it as an excuse to go into the stands. I mean i understand why Davis did it and i dont think the fine should be a whole lot but because it is a rule and he broke it, i think the league is obligated to uphold its rule.

01-19-2006, 02:45 PM	#8
marioh All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: NYC Posts: 1,162	That was just a bizarre situation. IMO, he should be fined and suspended for going into the stands, but I don't blame him for doing so (according to his and his family's account of what was going on).

01-19-2006, 02:58 PM	#10
sebastian0622 Banned Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 3,465	This is basically the ol' "would you steal a prescription to save your wife" standby. Basically, is it ethical to break a rule if the ethical benefit of breaking the rule is greater than the ethical malice of breaking the rule? As others have said, the best compromise is probably a somewhat lenient fine and suspension.

01-19-2006, 03:18 PM	#12
LongTooth Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 25	I'd like to say give him a pat on the back, but you just can't send that message. You have to suspend him for at least a few games. More importantly, I think you have to fire the security company and put all the league's security companies on notice that if this happens again that you'll go even further. This cannot be tolerated.

01-19-2006, 06:22 PM	#16
DiMaggio5CF All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 921	Acceptable. I would expect anyone to do it. Going to the aid of your family is nothing to be punished for. That said, he has to take a small suspension, but it shouldn't be anything big. Davis went into the stands because he saw a problem and wanted to make sure it didn't escalate and/or was taken care of. He didn't go in to start a fight, he didn't go in yelling, and he didn't go in because someone threw a paper cup at him. He saw a potential problem with his (at least relatively) defenseless family, and he went to make sure they were alright. No harm in that. Going into the stands to start trouble has to be punished, regardless of whether or not the player was provoked. That should be a zero-tolerance policy, or at least close to it. Going into the stands for any reason should be taken in a case-by-case basis. There should not be penalties for players who go into the stands for legitimate reasons. What if a player goes into the stands to help a fan who was choking on a hotdog? Are we going to end his season because he went into the stands? Under a zero-tolerance policy for going into the stands, period, we would. He should be suspended for a few games because he did go into the stands, and the reasoning was debatable, but he shouldn't be hit with a blanket penalty.

01-19-2006, 06:55 PM	#20
Sublimity Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: This thread. Posts: 3,199	I think the five games is fair. Sends a message that it's not tolerated, but it's not too extreme. I was thinking along the lines of two, but this is probably better. __________________ mrs ria: I hereby dub Sublimity the Glorious Upholder of the 5B3. Current leading vote-getter in the Worst Poster in OT History poll.