From MOP Squad Sports
Indiana Pacers
Harrison Pleads No Contest in NBA Brawl
By Associated Press
Sep 30, 2005 - 11:35:00 AM
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. - David Harrison of the Indiana Pacers pleaded no contest Friday to a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from one of the worst brawls in U.S. sports history.
He was expected to be sentenced later in the day.
Teammates Ron Artest, Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson entered the same pleas on the same charge last week and were sentenced to a year of probation, community service, anger management counseling and a $250 fine.
A fifth player, Anthony Johnson, pleaded no contest this month to a count of misdemeanor assault and battery and is scheduled for sentencing Oct. 7. Prosecutors have recommended that Johnson perform community service and serve probation, along with paying fines and court costs.
A no-contest plea in Michigan is not an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing.
Several fans at The Palace of Auburn Hills also were charged in the Nov. 19 brawl that started after Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace shoved Artest following a hard foul.
After the players were separated, Artest was doused with a beverage and rushed into the stands after the man he thought had thrown the drink. Some teammates joined him in the stands and clashed with fans on the court.
Artest was suspended for the rest of the season, Jackson for 30 games, O'Neal for 25 and Johnson for five. The league did not suspend Harrison. An arbitrator reduced O'Neal's suspension to 15 games, and it was upheld in federal court.
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