The WNBA wasted no time in dealing with the bench-clearing brawl between the L.A. Sparks and the Detroit Shock on Tuesday night. A free-for-all fight is not unusual in male sports; however, this is the first time in memory it has happened in the WNBA.
Today, WNBA President Donna Orender slapped 10 players and an assistant coach with game suspensions. In a statement on the WNBA website Orender called the brawl “… inexcusable and in no way indicative of what the league stands for. We hold our players to a very high standard and these suspensions should serve notice that the behavior exhibited at the end of Tuesday’s game will not be tolerated.”
Here’s the list of suspensions.
DETROIT SHOCK
Forward Plenette Pierson — four games for starting the fight and escalating the altercation.
Assistant Coach Rick Mahorn — two games for escalating the altercation. (I think this guy got off easy. Mahorn should have been suspended for the rest of the season, at least, for shoving Lisa Leslie to the floor.)
Center Kara Braxton — one game for leaving the team bench area during the altercation.
Forward Tasha Humphrey — one game for leaving the team bench area during the altercation.
Guard Elaine Powell — one game for leaving the team bench area during the altercation.
Forward Sheri Sam — one game for leaving the team bench area during the altercation.
L.A. SPARKS
Guard Shannon Bobbitt — two games for leaving the team bench area and becoming physically involved in the altercation.
Guard Murriel Page — two games for leaving the team bench area and becoming physically involved in the altercation.
Center Lisa Leslie — one game for throwing a punch.
Forward DeLisha Milton-Jones — one game for throwing a punch.
Forward Candace Parker — one game for throwing a punch.
Oh, and here’s an update on Shock player Cheryl Ford. She suffered a knee injury during the last minutes of the game Tuesday and apparently that injury was aggravated during the melee. Ford is out for the season.
