The Atlanta Hawks player who was arrested during an incident outside nightclub 1OAK last week—and seriously injured—says the NYPD is why he's missing the playoffs.
Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha and teammate Pero Antić were charged with interfering with cops who were responding to a stabbing that left Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland, his girlfriend and another woman inured. Video taken shows one officer apparently hitting Sefolosha with a baton.
Sefolosha's right fibula was broken and he also suffered ligament damage. Today, he said in a statement:
I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude to my family and friends, to the Hawks organization and, of course, my teammates. This has been a difficult time for me and my family and we truly appreciate the support we have been receiving from everyone.
I am extremely disappointed that I will not be able to join my teammates on the court during the playoffs and apologize to them for any distraction this incident has caused. I will be cheering for them, of course, every step of the way and will be diligent in my rehabilitation.
On advice of my counsel, I hope that you can appreciate that I cannot discuss the facts of the case. These questions will be answered by my lawyer in a court of law. I will simply say that I am in great pain, that I have suffered significant injury and those were caused by the police.
When asked about the video, Sefolosha said, "I don’t want to go into details on anything but I think the video speaks for itself."
Sefolosha shoots against the Milwaukee Bucks in March (Getty Images)
He would not comment on the complaint he made against the NYPD, but did allude to how the past week has been an education, "I’ve learned, maybe I’ve learned legally more than anything else. Other than that, it’s unfortunate the whole situation. For me, it’s great to have the support of the team and the organization and just being able to lean on them."
NYPD Internal Affairs is investigating the incident. According to the Civilian Complaint Review Board's stats, there have been six complaints against the NYPD in the 10th Precinct (1OAK is on 17th Street in Chelsea) this year through April 12, including two complaints about force.
