Gilbert Arenas Releases Statement on the Gun Incidents
Gilbert Arenas met federal prosecutors and local police in Washington, D.C. this afternoon to discuss the hoopla around the guns incident(s) that has dominated news the last week or so. After his meeting Gilbert and his attorney both released statements about the incident and today’s meeting. Not sure if what he said in the meeting or his statement will help him in any way with the law or with David Stern, but it’s something. No matter what, he is almost certainly looking at a serious suspension.
For what it’s worth, here’s what Gil had to say about the whole thing:
“I appreciated the opportunity to meet with law enforcement officials today. As the person who caused this trouble in the first place, I thought it was my duty to be the first witness to come forward and meet with the prosecutors and detectives. I told my attorney I wanted to get in for an interview as soon as we could arrange it, and that was today.
I told the detectives and prosecutors the whole story about my storing the unloaded guns at the Verizon Center and what I was intending to do when I took them out of my locker on December 21st.
As I have said before, I had kept the four unloaded handguns in my house in Virginia, but then moved them over to my locker at the Verizon Center to keep them away from my young kids. I brought them without any ammunition into the District of Columbia, mistakenly believing that the recent change in the DC gun laws allowed a person to store unloaded guns in the District.
On Monday, December 21st, I took the unloaded guns out in a misguided effort to play a joke on a teammate. Contrary to some press accounts, I never threatened or assaulted anyone with the guns and never pointed them at anyone.
Joke or not, I now recognize that what I did was a mistake and was wrong. I should not have brought the guns to DC in the first place, and I now realize that there’s no such thing as joking around when it comes to guns — even if unloaded.
I am very sorry for the effect that my serious lapse in judgment has had on my team, my teammates, the National Basketball Association and its fans. I want to apologize to everybody for letting them down with my conduct, and I promise to do better in the future.
I also want to thank the detectives and prosecutors on the case for the professionalism and courtesy they showed me during the interview today. I stand ready to continue to give my full cooperation to them and to the League as they investigate this incident.”
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January 4th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
the_don_mega (reppin the 3 stars and a sun) says:
a joke huh? really now…
January 4th, 2010 at 8:51 pm
jnuh says:
This just in, DC police have just charged Arenas with three counts of felony retard.
January 4th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Dan Dickau says:
If they were unloaded then it probably was a joke, because I can’t imagine much harm being done to someone with an unloaded gun. However, who can know for certain if they were loaded or not.
You know who comes out looking the best in this situation: Delonte West.
January 4th, 2010 at 9:02 pm
momo says:
Man, Glibert really sounds like that token dude that is on every highschool or college basketball team. You know, the guy that is making too many jokes, is always smiling, and just an overall unlikeable and goofy dude until he gets knocked in his lip and shuts the fuck up.
January 4th, 2010 at 10:45 pm
johnsacrimoni says:
@ Dan Dickau
Ever heard of a pistol whipping?
The thing is, I actually believe Gilbert. It definitely sounds like something he would do. However, bringing your guns into the Verizon Center is retarded in the first place, why not just buy a safe next time? Also, joke or not this is a serious matter since it involves FIREARMS and he’ll be very lucky if his contract isn’t voided and he ever plays in the NBA again. Guns are no laughing matter.
January 4th, 2010 at 11:29 pm
Keith says:
Even if all this is true, which i’m prepared to believe, he’s still gonna get a long suspension and a fine for this. If he doesn’t, what kind of message would the league be sending out? That it’s okay to play about with guns as long as they’re unloaded and it’s ‘all for a joke’?
Arenas has at least been a man about this, but he’s in damage limitation mode right now. He knows his 9-figure contract is on the line here.
January 5th, 2010 at 12:00 am
wiz says:
Everyone hates gil all of a sudden, bad judgement yes but does that mean attack his character if lebron did this yall would still be sucking his D*ck…keep ya head up gil…..
January 5th, 2010 at 12:04 am
Dan Dickau says:
@sacrimoni
You’re right, Gil can probably throw a mean pistol whip at Crittenton’s head. And if the guns were loaded let’s hope they weren’t hollow point bullets, that could be jail time.
His contract isn’t getting voided unless he gets charged with a felony, and who knows how long that could take. I doubt it’s gonna happen, and without the felony it’s pretty hard to get a contract voided.
This would be much less of a problem if The Wiz weren’t 10-21. Why do they suck so bad? Somebody needs to pluck their superstars and put em on some contenders this year. Seein Antawn and Caron get wasted in the district is a shame.
January 5th, 2010 at 12:23 am
Michorizo says:
If you got a gun in your waist please don’t shoot up the place…
January 5th, 2010 at 12:42 am
K says:
I don’t see why this will get Gil a “long ” suspension from the league
January 5th, 2010 at 1:53 am
cdiz says:
sorta reminds of the whole Plaxico Burress situation, except Gil aint stupid enough to shoot himself
January 5th, 2010 at 3:09 am
tja says:
on the one hand you americans can possess and buy guns so easily, and on the other hand you take a harmless incident like this that serious. but i know its about nba, stern, league for kids, families, sending messages, etc.
thx to the media such things get the needed attention (“PULLING GUNS ON EACH OTHER” and sht)
gil keep ya head up
January 5th, 2010 at 3:24 am
Brettman says:
wow, coming from Australia where NBA is probably the 10-12th most viewed popular sport/league this is insane. Any National sportsperson would be banned from his or her sport for life….no exceptons.
January 5th, 2010 at 3:36 am
yoda says:
shaq gave phantom to lbj for his birthday? wtf i want one too
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/LeBron-celebrates-birthday-with-win-Rolls-Royce?urn=nba,211345
January 5th, 2010 at 3:55 am
KnicksFan84 says:
Gilbert, you’re going to jail end of story. Goodbye!
January 5th, 2010 at 4:10 am
QQ says:
Dammit, Gil. Yall fooled us man. Yall acting like this will be your comeback season. This will be the return of DC. Man, I hated your antics and the way Dime is always on your nuts, but damn, Imma fan of the game. And your part of the game. I kinda believed you finally got it. You finally shed your fucking selfish ways, and you finally got it.
But damn. Still making jokes man? No one’s laughing now Gil. Not even your Dime fanboys.
January 5th, 2010 at 4:18 am
BUFFALO BRAVE says:
What everyone seems to be overlooking is the man was HOUSING 4 unregistered firearms in his locker in an NBA arena?!?
“Now you know you done fucked up right?”
Gil is finished
EPIC FAIL
January 5th, 2010 at 8:15 am
KnicksFan84 says:
LOL Buffalo Brave, nice Menace 2 Society reference.
January 5th, 2010 at 11:31 am
eyes says:
Hopefully what everyone wishes happens to him. You’d wish upon yourself if ever caught in a situation. No one’s perfect & can’t be. We’re all human & have opinions & make mistakes. You’d think some people are GOD. Oh Oh Stern is going to come down hard. Who is he? The media blew this thing way out of proportion. It definitely is a race issue along with their record. Setting examples are petty. Fix the real problems with the league. Banning Gilbert would do what exactly. I’m actually suprised the league has stood behind Delonte as they should have.
What lesson is taught by loving a guy when he could do something for a franchise & the minute he’s hurt or has a bad game. Throwing him under the bus. He made a mistake or poor choice. He didn’t hurt anybody take it easy. You say people shouldn’t bring up race in arguments. They wouldn’t if it didnt’ exist. The whole place as a whole has a problem with certain individuals making money. Speeding you should lose your car. etc etc. If everybody was held to the highest level of accountabilty. How do you think that would fair. If David Stern got a DUI. What would happen. Everyone deserve’s a chance.
Why do people hate Gilbert again? Do people actually know him? I hate iffy fans & media alike. Is the world better with Plaxico in Jail? Are players safer or more educated in the league about certain issues that will arise. Are the lawyers & agents of most of these high profile players fair & ethical. Do owners care for the most part about the person & his family? Does Stern care about anything else aside from himself & the image of the league.
Also no sex before marriage. Don’t pay your bills late. No stealing or exploiting from others(Hmmmm I wonder who’s the biggest culprit of such a simple thing. No cursing. No lying. In today’s society everything is scrutinized & magnified. Do people actually think Kobe or Mike Tyson raped those girls? If they didn’t can you repair the damage or hurt & even jail time that was handed down? Just because someone alleges something doesn’t mean it’s true. Al Sharpton all of sudden wants to call Stern to enforce something. What are you running for & what favor are looking for in the long run.
I guess Rasheed Wallace is scum of the earth in the N.B.A. & Lebron & Kobe are angels. Is David Stern MJ of commisioner’s. Laying down the law can really be ineffective. Is everyone in jail or convicted wrong? The judge,jury, or person that allowed or proved the conviction can’t always be right?
Also what should he have done with the weapons? Those that say your rich or in the N.B.A. & shouldn’t own guns? Life isn’t fair & sometimes no matter what you feel the need to protect yourself from danger. If the story wansn’t blown or leaked way out of proportion. He’d be fine & we could carry on. The media,Al Sharpton,Farrakhan,Gandhi,Oprah,Jay Z all have a say. Those are some real valid opinions right there. Hey if they say prosecute. DO IT. LOL. Let Stern do his job & that should be the best thing for ALL PARTIES INVOLVED. Can he get the electric chair for the joke. TMZ NEEDS THEIR OWN CHANNEL. WHAT IF TMZ IS CORRUPT?
January 5th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
foxsportswriter says:
ignorance is no excuse for the law. Jail time comin’.
January 5th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
bsmoot11 says:
what’s the worst possible thing that can happen with any number of UNLOADED guns?
bad judgement? of course, but also bad luck because someone snitched on Gil instead of keeping the issue in house.
getting into a fight during a game is a lot worse than gil’s failed practical joke.
and people keep saying Gil is stupid for what happened. why though? it’s not because of the actual act of putting the UNLOADED guns on the chair, but because of the consequence of getting caught. have some context people!
January 5th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
BiG ShoT BoB says:
Two words Jayson Williams….
January 5th, 2010 at 10:02 pm
eyes says:
@bob yes yes another bites the dust. Aren’t u quite happy. Why this is news boggles me ? How about some good news for a change? Let’s stop broadcasting players salary. Do you ever wonder what a job would be like if everyone knew each others salary ? The media paints such a negative view of most athletes. You’d think there all rich snobs. They’re all human that got lucky & worked their asses off to get where they are. All the negativity and Hate is a tad overboard.
These players didn’t steal or rob for the money they earn. The media can paint whatever picture they choose for a person. It’s up to u Zombies to think & act for yourself. How is it a high for people to see people suffer. That means your so miserable u can’t stand the sight of ur reflection. Let me guess bob what is your race? By any chance
The biggest problem in today’s society is the media & television programs. Who controls that. Is Eli Manning overpaid??
January 6th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
ab_40 says:
30 game suspension with the wizards in 8th seed when he gets back after which they’ll tumble back to the 11th and 12th seed with him getting all the blame next summer