A brawl on anti-bullying night at a National Basketball League game has resulted in a dozen suspensions and thousands of dollars in fines.
The fight broke out last Thursday, in the final few seconds of a game between the Kitchener Waterloo Titans and the Saint John Riptide in Saint John, N.B.
Saint John led by more than 20 points at the time, and things quickly became heated between one of their players and Titans point guard Tramique Sutherland.
According to Titans general manager Stu Julius, Sutherland “gave the guy a little bit of a shove, and then the guy tripped him.”
“Tramique felt that he had to defend himself, and unfortunately it was probably the wrong choice,” he said in an interview.
The morning after the game, the Titans suspended both Sutherland and Kevin Foster.
“That’s not what we’re about,” Julius said.
The league then issued its own suspensions to those two, as well as Titans player Tramar Sutherland and nine members of the Riptide. (The difference is because several members of the Riptide stormed onto the court during the fracas, while the Titans stayed in their bench area.)
Julius says Tramique Sutherland has apologized to his teammates and “feels really bad” about the situation.
The general manager plans to appeal the suspension given to Tramar Sutherland, who he says was playing “peacekeeper” during the fight.
A total of $13,000 worth of fines were also levied.
At 12 games, Tramique Sutherland’s is the longest of the dozen suspensions handed out by the league.
He will be eligible to play for the Titans again on April 9 – six days before the team hosts Saint John at The Aud.
With reporting by Marc Venema
