Rumble In Detroit Update

Yesterday we linked to video of the brawl in the stands of the Detroit Pistons game on Friday.

Today, the NBA has handed out stiff suspensions to players on both the Pistons, as well as the Indiana Pacers, as well as sent a cautionary note to potentially rowdy fans:

Ron Artest was suspended for the rest of the season Sunday as the NBA came down hard on three members of the Indiana Pacers for fighting with fans when a melee broke out at the end of a game against the Detroit Pistons.

Overall, nine players from the teams were banned for 143 games, including some of the harshest penalties the league ever issued. Artest is the first player to be suspended for nearly an entire season for a fight during a game.

“The message the league sent was so powerful to players that they’ll never do that again,” Pistons CEO Tom Wilson said.

Indiana’s Stephen Jackson was suspended for 30 games and Jermaine O’Neal for 25. Detroit’s Ben Wallace — whose shove of Artest after a foul led to the 5-minute fracas — drew a six-game ban, while Pacers guard Anthony Johnson got five games.

“I’m sick about that for Indiana. I’m devastated for them,” Pistons coach Larry Brown said. “And we lost our heart and soul.”

Four players were suspended for a game apiece: Indiana’s Reggie Miller, and Detroit’s Chauncey Billups, Elden Campbell and Derrick Coleman.

All of the suspensions are without pay.

Artest, O’Neal and Jackson — who all threw punches at fans in the stands or on the court at the end of the nationally televised Pacers-Pistons game Friday night — began serving their suspensions Saturday. Indiana, limited to just six players because of the suspensions and injuries, dropped an 86-83 decision to Orlando.

“The actions of the players involved wildly exceeded the professionalism and self-control that should fairly be expected from NBA players,” NBA commissioner David Stern said in a statement, adding that the league must not “allow our sport to be debased by what seem to be declining expectations.”

The NBA also has to “redefine the bounds of acceptable conduct for fans attending our games and resolve to permanently exclude those who overstep those bounds,” Stern said.

Between ticket records and videotape, it shouldn’t be too hard to identify who was sitting where if there’s another rumble. Just setup a database and ban those fans permanently.

But the same should be true for the players as well. Ultimately, banning them for life from the game should be an option in the worst cases.