Fansided

Indiana Pacers’ Paul George, Larry Bird issue statements

By Andrew Melnick

May 30, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (left) and teammate center Roy Hibbert (right) react during a game against the Miami Heat in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
May 30, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (left) and teammate center Roy Hibbert (right) react during a game against the Miami Heat in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Just about everyone in the world of sports is weighing in on Ray Rice.

More from Indiana Pacers

Some, however, haven’t exactly sounded bright while doing it.

Take Indiana Pacers’ forward Paul George for example. George attempted to defend Rice and received quite a bit of backlash (you can see his tweets here).

Since then, both George and Pacers’ President Larry Bird have issued statements on the situation. The official site of the Pacers released both statements.

"Statement from Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird:“Paul George’s tweets from earlier were thoughtless and without regard to the subject of domestic violence and its seriousness in society. We have talked to Paul to strongly express our displeasure and made it clear that the NBA and the Pacers’ organization will not condone or tolerate remarks of this nature. Paul understands that he was wrong and why his tweets were so inappropriate and is very apologetic.”Statement from Paul George:“I want to apologize to all victims of domestic abuse for my insensitive tweets. They were obviously without proper understanding of the seriousness of the situation and I sincerely regret my poor choice of words.”‎"

George obviously was thinking while he tweeted and although there is no excuse, it is good to see the Pacers handling things properly.

George averaged 21.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals per while shooting 42.4% from the field, 36.4% from beyond the arc and 86.4% from the charity stripe. In the postseason, he put up 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game while shooting 43.8% from the field, 40.3% from three and 78.9% from the free throw line. In his four-year NBA career, he’s put up 15.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 42.8% from the floor, 36.0% from beyond the arc and 82.8% from the free throw line.

Be sure to check FanSided’s official NBA page to keep up to date on the latest news and rumors from around the league all summer long.

Home/Indiana Pacers