The Afternath of the Pacers-Pistons Brawl: Suspensions and Legal Action

The Detroit Pistons-Indiana Pacer's brawl is one of the most infamous events in sports history. While this was a very hot topic in the moment, very little is known about what suspensions and legal actions occurred for the players and fans involved.

First, all the players involved were suspended different amounts. Ron Artest, because he ran into the stands and fought, was suspended for the rest of the season, resulting in 86 games (73 regular season, 13 playoff games). Stephen Jackson was suspended thirty games, Jermaine O'Neal fifteen games (reduced after being originally 25 games), Ben Wallace six games, and Anthony Johnson five games. Reggie Miller, Chauncey Billups, Elden Campbell, and Derrick Coleman were all suspended one game each. This resulted in a total of 137 games suspended for the Indiana Pacers players and nine for the Piston players. In total, the players involved lost almost ten million dollars, with Artest losing almost five million off of his contract.

There were also actions taken upon the fans involved. John Green and Charlie Haddad were banned from attending any event owned by Palace Sports and Entertainment. Both season ticket holders, the remainder of their tickets were revoked. In December 2004, five fans were charged for assault and battery as well as five Indiana Pacers basketball players. Some fans were charged with two counts (throwing the cup at Artest and throwing punches), while others, including Artest, were charged with one count each. Two fans, Charlie Haddad and A.J. Shackleford were charged for trespassing for their actions entering the court. Another fan, Bryant Jackon, was charged with felony assault after he threw a chair. Any fan involved in any way was banned for life from attending Piston basketball games.

Bryant Jackson was sentenced to two years probation and had to pay $6,000 for throwing the chair. David Wallace, another fan who was convicted, was sentenced to one year probation and community service for punching Pacer guard Fred Jones from behind. All five Pacer players were sentenced to one year probation, sixty hours of community service, and a $250 fine.

John Green was found guilty of assault and battery for punching Artest in the stands. He was acquitted on the count of assault for throwing the cup at Artest, though. On May 1, 2006, he was sentenced to thirty days in jail and two years probation. On November 7, 2006, he was issued a letter from the Detroit Pistons organization informing him he would be banned from Piston basketball games for life.

Wikipedia, Pacers-Pistons brawl