Sprewell Wins Case vs. NBA
Latrell Sprewell won a double victory today when an arbitrator ruled that the Golden State Warriors must reinstate his contract and the NBA must reduce his yearlong suspension by five months.
Sprewell will become a member of the Warriors on July 1, when his NBA-imposed suspension will end.
He was suspended for one year by NBA commissioner David Stern the longest non-drug-related penalty in league history for his attack on coach P.J. Carlesimo at practice Dec. 1.
Stern cited the "premeditated" nature of the attack, but arbitrator John Feerick rejected that characterization.
"The evidence indicates that there is no history of both the league and a team imposing discipline for the same violent conduct, on or off the court," Feerick wrote in his decision. "This speaks to the issue of fairness, as I see it."
The reinstatement of Sprewell's contract means he will be paid the remaining $16.3 million over the final two years of his contract.
It was a resounding victory for Sprewell and the players' union, which argued that the penalties were both unduly harsh and unprecedented.
"This decision is a victory that is shared by Latrell and the other 400 members of our union. It reaffirms the sanctity of guaranteed contracts in the NBA," said union president Billy Hunter.
His return is subject to the NBA receiving assurances from Sprewell and the player's association that he will control and manage his temper, Feerick ruled.
Sprewell's suspension had already become the longest in NBA history.
He has missed 44 games since he was suspended Dec. 3 by the 12-46 Warriors, who are tied for last place in the Pacific Division. By the end of the season, he will have missed 68 games, costing him $6.4 million in lost salary.
He remains barred from the Warriors' team facilities and NBA arenas until July 1.
At his arbitration hearing, a total of 21 witnesses testified over four days in Portland, Ore., during the final week of January and four more days in New York during the first week of February.
He filed two grievances, one against the Warriors for terminating the remaining three years of his four-year, $32 million contract, the other against the league for imposing the one-year suspension after the attack on Carlesimo.
Sprewell's attorneys had argued that he was the first player to be penalized by both the league and a team for a serious transgression. His side also argued that the collective bargaining agreement clearly states that a penalty in a case like this could be issued by either a team or the league, but not both.
Sprewell's side also argued that the one-year suspension was too severe when compared with previous penalties issued by the NBA. They also brought up cases of player-coach clashes in other sports in which penalties were issued by either the team or the league, but not both.
The NBA argued that the penalty was nt excessive, given the nature of the attack. The league's security department interviewed 23 witnesses in two days and determined that Sprewell got into a fight with Carlesimo at practice and choked the coach, then returned some 20 minutes later and punched him.
The union disputed whether a punch landed in the second confrontation.
The Warriors argued that they had the right to terminate Sprewell's contract under Section 16 of the uniform player contract, which says players must "conform to standards of good citizenship and good moral character" and prohibits "engaging in acts of moral turpitude."
Written by Chris Sheridan AP Basketball Writer
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