An NBA player usually known for his defense, Thabo Sefolosha is on the offensive.
Just weeks after being acquitted by a jury of all three charges stemming from an April 8 incident with the NYPD, Atlanta Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha is engaging in a full court press against the department. A run-in with police after his teammate Chris Copeland was stabbed in a nightclub left his ankle shattered and left him unable to contribute to his team's best playoff run in years. According to his interview in GQ:
I was just getting into a livery cab—one of the cops opened the door and said, "Get out of here"—when a homeless man asked me for money. I took out twenty bucks. When I made a few steps toward the guy, an officer said, "You're going to jail." Pero tapped the officer on the shoulder and said, "Relax, he didn't do anything." Another officer pushed him in the chest and he fell. That's what the first YouTube video showed—him on the floor.
More officers started grabbing me. I was trying to put the money back in my pocket. Usually I don't carry that much, but I had six or seven hundred dollars in my hand. One officer pulled me from my right arm, another grabbed me on my left, and another grabbed me on the back of my neck. I'm in, like, an on-a-cross type of position. I couldn't even move. It was just chaos. I had never been arrested before. I understood a little bit late that they were trying to put me on the ground, but if somebody grabs your arms and pulls you on your neck, you fall face first.
Somebody kicked my leg, more than once, from the back to force me to the ground. I knew something had happened as soon as they did it; I'm an athlete, so I know how my body should feel. They were stepping on my foot, too, I guess to try to keep me there. I didn't feel like there was anything I could do to calm it down. I tried to show them I was cooperating. I tried.
The interview with
GQ is a part of Sefolosha's current campaign to not only clear his name, but to hold the NYPD accountable for its actions against him and to raise awareness about police brutality.
Head below the fold for more on this story.
Sefolosha's story is one that comes as the NYPD has been under scrutiny for its practices in policing and brutalizing people of color, and also as it has finally been called to task for brutalizing another influential black man, retired tennis player James Blake. In both cases, it seems, the NYPD made mistakes in targeting the wrong black men, those with fame, fortune, and influence enough to not be swept under the rug.
Sefolosha's GQ comments are only a part of his push against the NYPD. An interview with ESPN's Hannah Storm reveals that he is moving to file a lawsuit against the department worth up to $50 million in damages, as the injuries sustained impacted his professional career, his future earnings, his team's success, and his long-term health. While this is admittedly a cynical view, we have seen time and again that organizations in power respond most quickly to powerful people challenging them with their wallets.
In a world of sports villainy and leagues across every sport behaving more like James Bond syndicates than custodians of sportsmanship, this is also the rare story of people in sports standing up unequivocally for what is right. Sefolosha's coach, Mike Budenholzer testified in court as a character witness in the trial that led to his acquittal. According to ESPN, The National Basketball Players Association has launched an investigation into the assault and has stood by Sefolosha. After a half-season of awkwardly avoiding any and all mentions of police brutality in regards to Sefolosha's injury, commentators of the Hawks-Knicks game actually managed a reasoned discussion of its role.
These things hinge on Sefolosha's decision to push back against one of the most powerful municipal organizations in the country. And it looks like he's well aware of the full ramifications of what he's fighting against. As Sefolosha states:
It was an act of police brutality, and I believe it could happen to anyone. Now I'm a lot more aware of everything that goes on. I've been, I don't want to say disillusioned, but brought back to earth in a harsh way. I look at videos of police brutality on YouTube or CNN.com. The other day I was watching this woman getting punched by the police for recording them arresting her husband. In a situation like this, you are helpless. If there's six people jumping me outside of the club, I scream, "Police, police!" If the police are doing this to me, who you want me to turn to?