Celtics Release Statement Regarding Fan Who Was Banned For 2 Years For Verbally Abusing DeMarcus Cousins
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Celtics held an investigation into whether a fan directed a racial slur at Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins during a game in Boston earlier this year, but were not able to verify that the fan used racially offensive language.
That fan, a male minor, was still hit with a two-year ban by the team for being verbally abusive toward the Golden State bench during their visit to Boston on Jan. 23, as was first reported by Yahoo Sports Thursday evening. While the team didn't ban the young fan for life, he is subject to lifetime probation.
The Celtics released the following statement about the matter on Friday:
On January 26, we were alerted by DeMarcus Cousins that a fan had used racially offensive language towards him. Immediately upon receiving the complaint, the fan, who was a minor, was ejected. The following day, per our policy regarding any reported fan behavior complaint, the team initiated an exhaustive investigation of the incident that included reviewing video from multiple angles and identifying and interviewing numerous fans, security personnel, and police in the immediate vicinity.
In the course of this investigation, we were able to conclude that the fan had been verbally abusive toward the Golden State bench, but none of the interviewed parties were able to verify the use of racially offensive language, and video evidence proved inconclusive. Based on our investigation, the fan was issued a two-year ban from all Celtics games, and is also subject to lifetime probation pursuant to our policy. The punishment for any corroborated discriminatory language used towards any player, employee, or fan at a Celtics home game is a lifetime ban.
We were in contact with the Golden State Warriors through this process, sharing our action plan and the final discipline. We express the deepest regrets that this incident happened to DeMarcus, as such behavior violates everything the Boston Celtics have always stood for.
According to The Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach, the young male fan was seated behind the Golden State bench and taunted Cousins throughout the game. A source told Himmelsbach that Cousins saw the fan mouth the n-word at him, which is when the player alerted TD Garden security. The fan was ejected and the Celtics began their investigation the next day.
The two-year ban was handed out shortly after the incident, nearly two months ago, according to Himmelsbach. His source also wanted to make it clear that the length of the ban does not mean the Celtics are skeptical of Cousins' claim, just that they were unable to prove it in their investigation.
News of this incident comes just weeks after Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook and a fan of the Utah Jazz got into a verbal altercation after the fan used racial insults toward Westbrook. The Jazz banned the fan for life, while the NBA fined Westbrook $25,000 for the incident.
