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Monday, December 4, 2000
Oakley suspended 3 games, fined $15,000
Associated Press
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TORONTO -- Charles Oakley claims Los Angeles Clippers guard
Jeff McInnis threatened him and that is what led to an exchange of
harsh words -- but no punches -- with the L.A. Clippers guard.
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| McInnis |
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| Oakley |
The Toronto Raptors power forward, speaking about the incident
Sunday for the first time since the NBA suspended him for three
games and fined him $15,000, said the Friday morning altercation
at the Air Canada Centre stemmed from something McInnis had said
earlier in the year.
"I just told him don't threaten me, I'm not the kind of guy you
threaten," Oakley said.
"If something like that happens, I'm going to take things into
my own hands. I can't worry about what the league does to me."
The incident, which took place during the morning shoot-around
sessions, wasn't captured on video, but several witnesses said they
heard a smacking sound seconds before McInnis became enraged.
Cameras then caught McInnis attempting to lift a metal drink
rack to throw at Oakley before he was restrained by teammates.
Oakley denied punching McInnis and questioned how the league
could punish him without video of the incident.
"I told (the NBA) no, I didn't do it. I didn't see anything on
camera so I don't know what they're talking about. All they're
going on is hearsay. "
Oakley apologized to Raptors coach Lenny Wilkens on Saturday for
the incident.
"I feel bad for the fans, the organization and my teammates,"
he said.
Oakley sat out Friday night's game against the Clippers, and
also will miss games in Utah on Tuesday and Portland on Wednesday.
Los Angeles Clippers coach Alvin Gentry was satisfied with the
suspension.
"It was a single hit," Gentry said. "I just saw the aftermath
of it, so who knows. We're not talking about the most mature group
of people in the world when you talk about pro athletes, so it
could have been over anything.
"We talked to the guys and said we don't want ever to
retaliate, which is tough to do in certain situations."
Oakley is averaging 7.9 points and 8.5 rebounds a game. The
Raptors are already without star Vince Carter, who remains
day-to-day with an injured tendon in his left knee.
Oakley wasn't allowed to attend Friday's game.
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AUDIO VIDEO
 Charles Oakely doesn't want to talk about punching Los Angeles Clippers guard Jeff McInnis.
avi: 1034 k
RealVideo: 28.8 | 56.6 | ISDN
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