Halifax Rainmen coaches, team fined $90K by NBL after forfeiting championship
The National Basketball League of Canada has levied $90,000 in fines against the Halifax Rainmen and their players following a fight and the forfeiture of the championship game on Thursday night.
"The league takes this incident very seriously and we are working to address the matter to ensure it never happens in the future, and so that those who were responsible are held accountable," the league said in a statement on Friday.
"We sincerely apologize to the fans, partners, team owners, employees, players and supporters of all of the teams in the league, and pledge to do our utmost to improve our league for the future."
A $20,000 fine was imposed on the Halifax Rainmen organization, plus a $10,000 fine for head coach Josep Claros and a $5,000 fine for assistant coach Pedro Monteiro for "conduct detrimental to the league."
Claros and Monteiro have also both been barred for life from coaching for the NBL.
As well, 11 players have been fined $5,000 each for conduct detrimental to the league. They have been suspended from playing in the NBL indefinitely, pending an investigation.
The players are:
- Seiya Ando
- Chris Cayole
- Clifford Clinkscales
- Jermaine Dailey
- Forrest Fisher
- Pedro Foster
- Joel Haywood
- Liam McMorrow
- Nigel Spikes
- Tyrone Watson
- Kevin Young
The Halifax Rainmen have scheduled a press conference for Saturday morning to discuss the controversy.
The Windsor Police Service said they were called at 10:40 a.m. on Thursday about a fight in the main bowl of the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ont.
Between 15 and 20 men were involved in the fight, which had ended by the time officers got to the scene. The Halifax Rainmen had already left the arena on their team bus, said police.
No one was injured and no one wanted to file a report.
The Halifax Rainmen said in a statement that the game was cancelled "citing safety concerns for its players and coaches."
Meanwhile, officials with the Windsor Express told CBC News extra security was brought in after the scuffle and they don't know why the Rainmen felt unsafe.
