Carlisle says NBA skipped team doctors before $100K fine
carlisle-says-nba-skipped-team-doctors-100k-fine
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said NBA investigators never consulted the club’s medical staff or players before issuing a $100,000 penalty for violating the league’s player participation policy.
Speaking Tuesday during his weekly segment on local station 107.5 The Fan, Carlisle criticized the process surrounding the Feb. 3 fine. He told listeners that an NBA attorney “unilaterally decided” injured forward Aaron Nesmith was healthy enough to play, even though, according to Carlisle, Nesmith “couldn’t hold the ball” after being hurt the previous night.
“We asked if they wanted to talk to our doctors — they said no,” Carlisle said. “We asked if they wanted to talk to the players — they said no, which was shocking.” He added that investigators also inquired whether the team had considered medicating Nesmith so he could appear in the game, despite the Pacers being 30 games under .500 at the time.
The league pushed back on Carlisle’s account. “Coach Carlisle’s description of the process that went into the decision to fine the Indiana Pacers is inaccurate,” the NBA said in a statement. The league noted that an independent physician led the review and that Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan and senior vice president of sports medicine and performance Josh Corbeil were interviewed.
The Pacers confirmed they supplied all requested documentation and said the NBA did not deem interviews with Carlisle or a team physician necessary.
Carlisle, 66, is in his 24th season as an NBA head coach. He owns a 1,008-904 career record, ranks 11th on the league’s all-time victories list and has won championships as both a player (Boston Celtics, 1985-86) and a coach (Dallas Mavericks, 2010-11). The 2001-02 Coach of the Year recently announced he will step down as president of the National Basketball Coaches Association.
Source: ESPN
