Atlanta Hawks pair Pero Antic and Thabo Sefolosha have released a statement in the aftermath of Indiana Pacers star Chris Copeland being stabbed on Wednesday.
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Both Antic and Sefolosha were arrested at the nightclub where the stabbing occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and it was reported that it was due to obstructing the police’s attempts to establish a crime scene.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer was the first to speak on the incident, as he called the events “unfortunate” and although he insisted that the organisation will continue to support the pair, they are unable to make any further comment as it is a continuing legal matter.
In a joint statement, Antic and Sefolosha had this to say on the incident:
“As members of the Atlanta Hawks, we hold ourselves to a high standard and take our roles as professionals very seriously. We will contest these charges and look forward to communicating the facts of the situation at the appropriate time. We apologize to our respective families, teammates, and the Hawks organization for any negative attention this incident has brought upon them. We are unable to provide further comment as this is an ongoing legal matter,” Pro Basketball Talk reported.
According to the New York Times, Sefolosha was charged with resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and disorderly conduct after he refused to leave and then “charged at an officer”.
Meanwhile, Antic was charged with obstructing governmental administration and menacing and disorderly conduct. It is reported that while Sefolosha was being arrested, Antic grabbed another police officer.
Naturally, both men will not feature for the Hawks in Thursday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, and it is certainly an unfortunate set of circumstances for the organisation to be involved in after such an impressive regular season.
This is exactly the kind of distraction that Budenholzer could do without, although the more important aspect of this incident is that the Pacers will continue to monitor the health of Copeland who remains in ICU after the stabbing punctured his diaphragm.
It is understood that the 31-year-old also suffered lacerations on his left hand and elbow and after undergoing surgery he will remain in hospital for the foreseeable future.
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