I hate Jackson, but this is BULLSHIT! http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4476373 How are you going to fine somebody for asking for a trade?
It's in the CBA. Players are specifically prohibited from publicly demanding a trade. Violate the rules, you get fined.
He has a legal right to say it...that doesn't mean his employer can't discipline him for what he says.
I thought the 1st amendment only protected you from the Government taking away your right to free speech.
"Statements detrimental to the NBA"......that is complete horseshit. This is an issue between Jackson and the Warriors. The NBA has NO business getting involved. At what point are people going to acknowledge that Stern is mentally unbalanced?
The problem is that Jackson went public with the statements. He said it to a media outlet that he wanted to be traded. Players are allowed to request trades with their teams privately. Often its leaked when players request trades but because it isn't the actual player saying it to the public it isn't punishable.
You said it yourself....as in not a public forum. The 1st amendment argument is not applicable as somebody pointed out. Sure say what you want about your JOB situation, just be ready for your EMPLOYERS action on those words. As also already stated...its in the CBA. He's a grown man (in age) and he agreed to it. Easy as that.
Absolutely. People with access to trade secrets in business or confidential information in the military do it every day. Ed O.
Yes, Chris, the first amendment refers to government. The state or fed government cannot arrest you for speaking on whatever. But employers can and do set rules of what their employers can and cannot say about the job/company in public. All I can say is that will really make Jackson love being with the Warriors, won't it?
For $28 million he better love it. That's the thing about guaranteed contracts - Jackson will pay that $25,000 and move on. In the NFL, you can cut a guy. I wish that were the case in the NBA. You can bet Jackson would keep his mouth shut if his contract wasn't guaranteed. I don't think if Jackson were a FA this off season that he would have garnered enough interest for anybody to give him $28 million for 3 years.
It wasn't the Warriors who fined him. It was the NBA. He may not want to be a Warrior, but he can't really blame them for something they didn't do. BNM
Here's the rub - the NBA isn't his employer! He works for the Warriors. If *they* want to punish him for violating his contract, that's *their* call. There is no "detriment" to the NBA. The NBA has nothing to do with this. This is strictly a matter between a player and his team. As you say "easy as that."
What's all the bitching about? Jackson violated a rule in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, it's as simple as that. The CBA has all kinds of provisions that protect players against every offense in the book (drug violations can't even be reported to the public), and yet when this guy does something that makes the league look bad, he's supposed to get a free pass? Nonsense.
Not sure why anyone thinks he shouldn't be fined. This was a clear violation of the NBA collective bargaining agreement. Jackson, like every other NBA player, receives certain benefits and protections provided by the CBA. With those benefits come the responsibility to hold up his end of the bargain. By demanding a trade through the media, he violated the terms of the CBA and the NBA has fined him accordingly. Seems pretty cut and dry to me. The real question is why was Jackson spouting his trade demands to the media? That's his agents job. Ever notice how when a player wants to be traded, it's always (well, almost always) the player's agent who is quoted by the media? Agents are not members of the NBA Player's Union, and are not, therefore, bound by the terms of the CBA. They are free to toss out trade demands at will with no fear of fine by the NBA. Jackson has a reputation for being a loose cannon with a big mouth, but his agent needs to communicate to him that all trade demands need to come from his agent's mouth, not Jackson's. BNM
One more time. Jackson didn't "make the league look bad." That's just silly. This was between a player (employee) and team (employer). The league was not a party to the dispute and Stern should have kept his nose out of it.
Wrong. What if half the players in the league start demanding trades? What if the leading scorer on EVERY team demands a trade. What if ALL the players on one team start demanding trades. If such mutiny goes unchecked, it can, and will damage the NBA financially. The league's income comes from fans who watch the games on TV, fill the arenas and purchase NBA branded merchandise. In these hard economic times, with people loosing jobs at record rates, the last thing the NBA needs is the public perception that it's players are a bunch of whiny, overpaid malcontents. When a guy who has a $28 million dollar guaranteed contract starts complaining to the media about HIS job situation, it damages the league's reputation, and hence, their bottom line. Yes, when the Warrior's star player publicly demands a trade, it potentially hurts the team's bottom line (wouldn't you be less likely to purchase Blazers season tickets and team merchandise if Brandon Roy started demanding a trade?), but it also damages the league. Lower ticket sales and lower TV ratings in any market hurts the league's bottom line. There is a reason this "no public trade demands" clause is in the NBA collective bargaining agreement. It is there to protect the league's image, and therefore, their bottom line. That clause was approved by the NBA Player's Union, and as a member of the Union, Jackson is bound by the terms of that agreement. He's not the first to be fined for public trade demands. So, this action is not without precedent and should not come as a surprise to anyone - including Jackson and his agent. BNM
