Ron Artest Apologizes on Saturday, Could Rejoin the Kings on Sunday

Ron Artest, the troubled forward on the NBA's Sacramento Kings, apologized on Saturday for his arrest earlier this week. In return, the Kings announced they would reinstate the player, perhaps as soon as Sunday's game against the Denver Nuggets.

Artest, in a press conference on Saturday, appeared deeply moved as he apologized publicly. "First, I want to apologize to my wife, to my family," he began. "I want to apologize to the Kings, to my teammates, to the NBA, everybody.

Artest, who according to the police report, had slapped and grabbed an unidentified woman, which caused visible bruising on the woman's leg and hand. In her 911 call, the woman said she had been hit, and that the abuse had caused her hand to bleed. Since California laws ban the identification of domestic violence victims, it is unclear if the woman in question is Artest's wife. Artest announced he would begin volunteering with local domestic violence groups.

"I definitely stumbled by what happened with my family, and I step back as being a father and a husband, and I'm looking forward to the day when I can make that right." He also acknowledged the problems his off-court behavior have caused for the team. "I definitely want to apologize for my behavior even to the ... whole NBA, all the players, because the league is doing so well right now ... and Ron Artest once again is in the media for something other than basketball and I apologize."

At numerous times during his appearance in front of reporters on Saturday, Artest seemed to have to fight to keep his emotions in check, and often appeared close to tears.

According to Geoff Petrie, the Sacramento Kings' president of basketball operations, the decision to allow Artest to return to the team after only five days was not an easy one to make.

"Obviously, the events of this last Monday remain a very, very serious issue going forward," he said. "However at this point in time and place we feel it's important for Ron to come back and participate and rejoin the team and start playing." He did not, however, say what would happen to Artest's playing status if the player would be formally charged with a crime.

"Fundamental to our decision, really, to initiate Ron's return to the team, is based on the principle, the underlying principle, that the resumption of innocence still stands - not just for Ron, but for all of us."

The next step in the legal process for Artest will be his arraignment on March 22. He could possibly face charges of domestic violence and using force or violence to prevent the woman from reporting a crime.

After being asked if he thought the off-court issues would affect his play, Artest, like Kobe Bryant in 2003, when he was involved in his own legal problems. "That's not a problem," Artest said. "The hardest problem is everything else. Basketball, that's easy."

Sources:

sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story
www.theloomisnews.com/articles/2007/03/08/news/top_stories/05artest.txt