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Thabo Sefolosha speaks out about his arrest for first time

By Cameron La Fontaine

Jan 28, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Thabo Sefolosha (25) talks with a referee during a break in the third quarter of their game against the Brooklyn Nets at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 113-102. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Thabo Sefolosha (25) talks with a referee during a break in the third quarter of their game against the Brooklyn Nets at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 113-102. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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Atlanta Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha suffered a broken right fibula when he was arrest by police outside a New York club last week and he spoke to media for the first time Tuesday.

At a New York Club last Wednesday, Atlanta Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha was in attendance with teammate Pero Antic and Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland when Copeland was stabbed twice and sent to the hospital. As NYPD came in to set up a crime scene, Sefolosha and Antic were arrested for obstructing police when they reportedly tried stopping NYPD from setting up a crime scene. And, Sefolosha was also arrested for resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

During his arrest, Sefolosha reportedly suffered a broken right fibula and torn ligaments and an investigation into how the police handled the situation is being investigated.

On Tuesday, Sefolosha spoke to media for the first time about the incident and opened with this statement:

He’s not allowed to talk about the case, but he was able to say that he “experienced a significant injury and that the injury was caused by the police.”

You can see the video obtained by

TMZ

below, which does not bode well for NYPD who appeared to use violent tactics with Sefolosha, hitting him with a baton after he had been wrestled to the ground.

With his injuries, Sefolosha will miss the rest of the season including the playoffs, where the Hawks will be the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

According to ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz, Sefolosha and Antic were more than 100 feet from Chris Copeland when he was stabbed after early reports indicated that the two Atlanta Hawks were close to Copeland when he was stabbed with a knife in the abdomen and elbow.

After Sefolosha’s arrest and injury, he filed a complaint against the NYPD, and the NBA Players Association headed by Michelle Roberts is investigating the matter.

Sefolosha missed much of the 2014 season after suffering a calf injury and returned to full time in late March and averaged 8 points and 4.8 rebounds in those six games before his arrest.

After all of this, Sefolosha’s biggest concern appears to be his distraction to the team and he apologized for any negative light this puts on the Hawks organization.

In his Q and A with media after his statement, he said he’s frustrated that he won’t be able to play, but doesn’t want to be a distraction. This comes according to Chris Vivlamore’s story for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 

Q. How disappointing is it that you worked to get back (from calf injury) and now can’t play in the playoffs?

A. Very. I’m sad, disappointed and frustrated by the whole situation. Of course, I just don’t want it to be too much of a distraction on the team.

Hopefully Sefolosha’s arrest and injury isn’t too much of a distraction for the Hawks, who are trying to win their first NBA Championship since they moved to Atlanta back in 1968.

Kudos to Sefolosha for showing his selflessness towards the team after he suffered a deeply frustrating injury allegedly caused by police brutality.

h/t Hardwood Paroxysm, TMZ, ESPN, AJC.com

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