Jeff Taylor Suspended 24 Games
ESPN.com news services
National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts said in a statement Thursday that the 24-game suspension given to Charlotte Hornets forward Jeff Taylor is 'excessive, without precedent and a violation of the collective bargaining agreement' and that the union will 'stand ready to file an immediate appeal on his behalf.'
'The CBA contemplates a minimum 10-game suspension in any case involving a conviction for a violent felony, including domestic violence,' the statement read. 'In contrast, Jeff Taylor was charged with a misdemeanor that is likely to be dismissed at the end of a probationary period.'
The NBA suspended Taylor without pay after he pleaded guilty last month to misdemeanor domestic violence assault and malicious destruction of hotel property. The league said he would get credit for the 11 games he has missed and will sit out an additional 13, which is slightly more than one-fourth of the league's 82-game schedule.
The suspension will cost Taylor $199,689 of his $915,000 salary based off his missing 24 games out of 110 season days, as defined by the league's collective bargaining agreement.
'This suspension is necessary to protect the interests of the NBA and the public's confidence in it,' NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a release Wednesday. 'Mr. Taylor's conduct violates applicable law and, in my opinion, does not conform to standards of morality and is prejudicial and detrimental to the NBA.'
Roberts' statement said it would follow Taylor's lead on whether to appeal.
'While we appreciate the sensitivity of this societal issue, the commissioner is not entitled to rewrite the rules or otherwise ignore precedent in disciplinary matters,' the statement read. 'While ultimately this is Jeff's decision, we stand ready to file an immediate appeal on his behalf.'
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