Suspensions for WNBA brawl
The WNBA suspended 10 players and Detroit assistant coach Rick Mahorn for their roles in Tuesday’s bench-clearing brawl. If you haven’t seen it yet, check the video below:
Detroit’s Plenette Pierson was given the biggest suspension, four games, as she was the one who (arguably) initiated and escalated the whole thing. Mahorn was given two games, along with L.A.’s Shannon Bobbitt and Murriel Page. Detroit’s Kara Braxton, Tasha Humphrey, Elaine Powell and Sheri Sam, plus Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker and DeLisha Milton-Jones (who punched Mahorn) were given one-game suspensions.
“As a team, we’re incensed that Rick Mahorn was suspended,” Shock coach Bill Laimbeer said. “He was trying to be a peacemaker and now he’s being thrown under the bus.”
Were the suspensions tough enough? Would this incident have been dealt with more or less harshly if it were an NBA game?
July 24th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Harvey Dent says:
Parker gets ONE game. Damn the WNBA is scrambling.
She pulled P Double to the ground! I didn’t even see Lil Bobbitt get into the fray. That would’ve been funny.
July 24th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
doc says:
We all know it would’ve been more games if it was the NBA.That was outright favortism for Candace.How she get 1 game for doing the same thing the chick got 4 games for.And Milton shoulda got more just because she got a hit in and Rick aint thrash her.
July 24th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Big V says:
This woulda definitely been much worse in the NBA. Punches (bitchslaps, whatever you want to call those)were thrown, that’s enough for real deal suspension time.
July 24th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
daQuesT?On says:
of course it would be harsher in the nba, jr smith and melo got 15 games for basically the same thing, not to mention artest and captain jack but that was kinda different.The NBA is the only major sport where fighting gets punished heavily, fighting is part of the baseball culture , they basically want u to fight in hockey and football is violence.
July 24th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
the haters POV says:
Milton should have gotten more games. She’s straight punched dude. If he turned around and destroyed her, there would have been an uproar. I feel bad for Ford, now she’s out for the season.
July 24th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Austin Burton says:
Keep in mind that the WNBA season is like 30-something games as opposed to 82. Four games is a bigger percentage of the season.
July 24th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
the haters POV says:
Milton’s punishment should be a punch in the back from Mahorn.
July 24th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
daQuesT?On says:
damn i dint know it was 30 games thats not a lot
July 24th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
the haters POV says:
J/K
July 24th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Ross says:
Basically Mahorn is getting a bigger suspension because he was the only male involved.
July 24th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Zach says:
@ Austin
Yes 4 games is a bigger percentage but we are talking about ONE game for someone that threw multiple punches (Milton) and ONE game for dragging someone to the ground while they were walking towards you rolling on top of them and trying to through blows (Parker). From all the video i’ve seen Parker started the brawl not Pierson. Pierson jumped up and was walking toward CP but CP definetaly grabbed her and brought her down b4 Pierson even made a threatening gesture. and Mahorn I feel bad for you man you got scape goated
July 24th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
fiyaman says:
gd pt austin..
also i think Pierson definetly instaigated things by going over to taunt CP after she fell down.. where im from that alone will get u swung on
July 24th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Homeless J says:
The thing I’m most concerned about is the girl named Bobbitt.
If there’s one WNBA player that a dude would be afraid to go one on one against, just from reading the back of her jersey, it would be her.
before that game I’d have somebody else pat her down to see if she’s got a pair of scissors hidden in her outfit. Do you think the refs are more afraid of calling fouls on her than anyone else?
July 24th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Sith Lord 24 says:
ahhhhhhhhh naaaaaa Rick got suspended. omg he should be hot right now. he was trying to break it up. just because some girl just fell when he hardly touch her.. that is some mess right there. only just because he was a man…
July 24th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
fiyaman says:
i think Rick deserved the suspn.. whether he was trying ot brk it up or not the fact is he pushed her down..
if this the was NBA and a assistant game in to brk up a fight and pushed down a dude on the other team that would have started a bigger brawl (u see how her teammate responded imagine if it was a dude swing on him )
this is a women’s league and if they allow guys to start bullying the women (intenional or not) then that kills the integrity…
everyone who got suspd deserved it as far as the amount of time per susp thats a diff story
July 24th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Austin Burton says:
Mahorn, in theory, should be held to a higher standard because he’s a coach and is supposed to be a leader. He’s not “in the heat of the battle” because he’s not playing and is supposed to be an example. I think if an NBA coach went on the court and pushed a player down, he’d get a big suspension.
July 24th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Homeless J says:
do we know for sure that Rick Mahorn is officially still a man? I didn’t see Bobbitt a lot during the melee, plus she’s really small, she could have gone low with the kitchen knife while nobody was looking, or caught him in the parking lot after the game.
can we get Ric Bucher on this immediately?
July 24th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Sith Lord 24 says:
rick did not push her down. she flopped hard
July 24th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Zach says:
Austin
Jeff Van Gundy got in no trouble for the Zo thing in the playoffs and he wrapped both his arms around him (his legs)and dropped his body weight on Zo’s foot (in my opinion could have hurt the player way more than getting pushed/slipped to the ground) With all the ankle, knee and foot injuries that NBA players sustain that was way out of line but no fine, no suspension, no reprimand
July 24th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Austin Burton says:
Van Gundy really didn’t get any kind of suspension? That’s crazy.
July 24th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Zach says:
it was a while ago but i am 99% sure that he didn’t Zo and LJ did. i quickly googled it and didn’t see anything. let me know if you find out differently please.
July 24th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
N B says:
I definitely think Rick Mahorn was punished unfairly. Lisa Leslie threw a punch at him and fell back. He did not push her. That wouldn’t even be right. And I definitley think the league is protecting Candace Parker. She’s their LeBron. Of course chicks are gonna be coming at her on a nightly basis. Hopefully she learns her lesson.
July 25th, 2008 at 1:22 am
tealish says:
Van Gundy was in a pathetic position, trying to hold down a huge 7-footer. It was clear that he wasn’t trying to initiate any collision like a punch/push does. His koala bear hugging was definitely of the peace-making variety. Mahorn, well-intentioned or not, made a shoving motion. That deserves a game I guess. One or none would’ve been fine by me.
What’s f’d up, is the girl would threw a punch and only got 1 game.
July 25th, 2008 at 2:31 am
Kalan F. says:
The league was being prejudice against Rick Mahorn because he’s a big dude. I don’t think that he meant to push Lisa Leslie. Even Michael Cooper defended him. As for Candace Parker, I was a little surprized she only got one game. I am a big fan of CP3, but I thought that she would be suspended at least three games. I was also suprized that Deanna Nolan didn’t get suspended for tackling Candace Parker. The person I feel sorry for the most is Cheryl Ford. She tears her ACL trying to play peacemaker. That’s really sad. Without a doubt, if this had occured in the NBA, the penalty would have been more severe. It is really sad that stuff like this in sports happen because these athletes are looked at as rolemodels to kids. Hopefully the WNBA can garner more attention, but in a positive way.
July 25th, 2008 at 2:58 am
Amar says:
these suspensions are bs . . . parker only 1 game, and she basically started the physical stuff. messed up. mahorn’s intention was clearly good and noble, but aristotle would suggest that there’s a difference between involuntary actions and non-voluntary actions. he didn’t want to hurt/injure/push lesie when he went into the fray, and his post event remorse and regret suggest that he wasn’t trying to do anything but be part of the solution to this problem. that sucks for him.
July 26th, 2008 at 5:36 am
2 Easy says:
Yo im upset, youtube isnt working and I have yet to see this brawl properly. From what I hear its clear CP is gettin protected becacuse shes the new face of the WNBA. Does anyone else find it ironic that all these brawls keep happening in Detroit? What the hell do they put in the food there?