Poker Gambling Debt at Center of NBA Wizards Probe
Washington police continue to investigate an incident that allegedly took place in the NBA's Washington Wizards locker room in which two teammates drew guns on each other in an argument over a gambling debt. Javaris Crittenton and Gilbert Arenas are the two players at the center of the investigation. The gambling debt in question was reportedly for $25,000 won during a poker game.
The Washington Wizards take this situation and the ongoing investigation very seriously," police officials said this weekend. "We are continuing to co-operate fully with the proper authorities and the NBA and will have no further comment at this time.''
NBA rules allow players to legally possess firearms, but prohibits them from bringing guns to league facilities or when travelling on league business.
The longest tenured coach in the league, Jerry Sloan of the Utah Jazz, expressed outrage over the incident.
"These guys have a tremendous image to try to improve on all the time, because, you know, these buildings we play in are not all full," Sloan said. "And any time you have situations like that (in Washington) that makes people a little bit more skeptical about coming and watching you play.
"What's their priority? When those things draw more attention to what's going on than the game itself, then we're probably going in the wrong direction - and I don't think that's good for basketball."
Sloan said that as coach of the Jazz "I've been blessed with the kind of people I've had so far."
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Pubisher
