Russell Westbrook's heated exchange with a Utah fan

 
Fan is now banned for life from arena after an investigstion from eye witness accts and video review. Good decision.
 
Someone on the bench needed to say something. Shouldn't have had to be him. I don't think he should have been fined.


That said I also don't like this narrative being pushed "everyone took the white man's side cuz..." That simply didn't happen and those that didn't take Westbrook's doesn't mean it was race. Some people just don't like "spoiled, rich athletes."
 
On the surface, I'd say players should not engage negatively with fans. Westbrook has a history with fans, he has a history with Jazz fans. The team and the league needs to sit him down for week. Make it abundantly clear to him that he simply can't do this.
If you are being taunted by a fan, grab one of the dozens of security people that are hanging around the bench area. The one dude with the red blazer on did nothing, just stood there and smiled. Westbrook's teammates and the dozen coaches did nothing as well. Is he such a jerk no one can tell him to zip it?
 
Raider it is a general rule if 14red is in agreement with you, you need to reconsider your stance LOL

Fans shouldnt tell players to get on their knees like they used to.

Westbrook probably should have ignored it, but if he does ignore it this fan and others feel entitled to spout racial taunts freely. I am not sure if the wife said anything, but since she wasnt banned he shouldn't have responded by saying he would eff her up.

The jazz banned him for life after an investigation so clearly they agree he was in the wrong. The nba fined Westbrook so they also think he was in the wrong for the way he approached it.

He could have handled it better, no doubt. However I am not sure if I would have reacted with less restraint.
 
I said that part was but you dont think the fan was in the wrong? Weird how you only posted fault with Russ
 
I'm glad they interviewed the guy who talked to Russ. Kinda changes things doesn't it? Look, we don't know this guy from Adam, but do we kinda think Russ may be a little bit of a hothead? And his interview where he says he has a clean slate??
Russ busts his tail, doesn't take days off and I appreciate him for that, I really do. In a time when alot of superstars take days off for "load management" Russ is a throwback.
But he's also proven over time to be a loose cannon at time.

I think the league went very, very light on him with no suspension, just a fine. Fines are worthless for these guys anymore, they make too much money.
 
You see his old racist tweets 14red? You see the jazz did an investigation and confirmed what russ alleged?

Two wrongs dont make a right, they both were in the wrong
 
Arrogate said:
You see his old racist tweets 14red? You see the jazz did an investigation and confirmed what russ alleged?

Two wrongs dont make a right, they both were in the wrong
Click to expand...

Didn't see any racist Tweets. I did see that Westbrook reported he said "get on your knees like you used to" and the fan said sit down and ice your knees.

In this instance, those are two ENTIRELY different things.

NOW, with that said, the Jazz definitely must have found something in their investigation and I'm sure the last thing they want to do is ban paying customers for life from their product. So I'm going to side with the Jazz organization in what they felt like they had to do.
I also think the NBA went way, WAY soft on Russ ( for some reason). Here's a guy who has had issues before, is a loose cannon and they slap him on the wrist for DIRECTLY TELLING A CUSTOMER OF THEIR'S .... "I'm going to F%@& you up!". Really????

At this point, I'd say NBA, NFL, MLB just don't fine players anymore. Or come up with something that really make a dent. Fine a player 10%or 15% of their annual pay.

Just to keep score, Westbrook's $25,000 fine represents .07% of his annual salary. This fine means absolutely nothing to him.
 
14red condones racism!

Eye witness reports sided with Russ. His tweets speak for themself
You condone racism. 14red is a racist end of discussion. What you permit, you condone
 
Russ has never had an altercation with a fan before and Utah fans are notorious for being the worst in the league (in terms of nastiness to players)
 
Arrogate said:
14red condones racism!

Eye witness reports sided with Russ. His tweets speak for themself
You condone racism. 14red is a racist end of discussion. What you permit, you condone
Click to expand...

Where in the heck do you get that? I just said I sided with the Jazz organization because they banned the guy for life. They did their investigation. End of story.
And all i'm saying is Russ isn't innocent. End of discussion.
 
14red condoning racism since 3/12/12

You said on the GB you were a racist and proud of it. Just seems odd
 
Michael Bluth said:
Russ has never had an altercation with a fan before and Utah fans are notorious for being the worst in the league (in terms of nastiness to players)
Click to expand...

Never had....just last season two times in Utah with fans in the playoff series. And just a few weeks ago he got into it with a kid...A KID...sitting courtside.

Russ isn't a choirboy.
 
Arrogate said:
14red condoning racism since 3/12/12

You said on the GB you were a racist and proud of it. Just seems odd
Click to expand...

What are you talking about troll...and what in the heck is GB??

You must have a different 14red, i'm as far from racist as you can find.
 
Folks we are moving closer and closer to a "malace in the Palace" like occurred with Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson.
Fans are allowed to get out of control. Security is lacking, but yet these arenas continue to put seats nearer and nearer to the players.
Players are as engaging to fans as ever before.

Now I don't condone what the fan said to Westbrook, and so far it's been a he said/ he didn't say premise. The Jazz, fearing a real mutiny with their own fans, took the easy route and banned the guy for life. I don't have a problem with that, and the Jazz certainly will fill that guys seat quickly.

But the issue is players confronting fans and fans being allowed to say whatever they want. This guy should have been walked out of the arena after the first couple of sentences. And Westbrook, should have never confronted the fan. The piddly fine does NOTHING to pursuade Westbrook from doing this again. Would you be shocked if Westbrook went into the stands after a fan?? I wouldn't.

And it's interesting...last week, Larry Dolan, the owner of the Knicks, basically ejected a fan himself from a game and got all kinds of flack from people. Westbrook THREATENS a fan, and ESPN's talking heads and others back the player???
 
14Red said:
Folks we are moving closer and closer to a "malace in the Palace" like occurred with Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson.
Fans are allowed to get out of control. Security is lacking, but yet these arenas continue to put seats nearer and nearer to the players.
Players are as engaging to fans as ever before.

Now I don't condone what the fan said to Westbrook, and so far it's been a he said/ he didn't say premise. The Jazz, fearing a real mutiny with their own fans, took the easy route and banned the guy for life. I don't have a problem with that, and the Jazz certainly will fill that guys seat quickly.

But the issue is players confronting fans and fans being allowed to say whatever they want. This guy should have been walked out of the arena after the first couple of sentences. And Westbrook, should have never confronted the fan. The piddly fine does NOTHING to pursuade Westbrook from doing this again. Would you be shocked if Westbrook went into the stands after a fan?? I wouldn't.

And it's interesting...last week, Larry Dolan, the owner of the Knicks, basically ejected a fan himself from a game and got all kinds of flack from people. Westbrook THREATENS a fan, and ESPN's talking heads and others back the player???
Click to expand...

Prove it. Prove that the Jazz didn't find video evidence/enough eye witnesses that back Westbrook's side of the story. You can't and you won't because you're talking out of your again.
 
Honest question, because I don't understand the reference...why is "get on your knees" considered to be a racial reference?
 
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