(Original story from 12/16/16:)
DeMarcus Cousins and new teammate Matt Barnes were recently involved in an incident at a New York nightclub. Long story short, according to the victims, Barnes assaulted a woman in the club. He was later brought in by police and questioned and at this point, nothing has come out of it besides a potential lawsuit from the couple in the incident.
That issue was a catalyst in a recent column by Andy Furillo of the Sacramento Bee. The columnist wrote an extensive piece detailing how the Kings should fancy other nightclubs as they enjoy their visits to other cities. He also described an incident in Florida involving Cousins’ younger brother Jaleel, currently a member of the NBA D-League. That appeared to trigger something in Boogie, and he let the reporter hear it.
The Sacramento Bee produced the following video on their site.
And the story that proceeded the video detailed the issue at hand.
Furillo’s column was about an incident at the Avenue club in New York and a subsequent lawsuit that alleges teammate Matt Barnes choked a woman and Cousins “sucker punched” her boyfriend. The couple filed the civil lawsuit in federal court, but neither player has been arrested or charged. At the end of the column, Furillo briefly referenced a well-publicized incident with Cousins and his younger brother in a Tampa, Fla., bar in May, which ended with his brother, Jaleel – who also is an athlete and public figure – arrested while friends hustled out Cousins.
That reference apparently set off Cousins. Yet it’s basic journalistic context, relevant and fair in any column about Cousins and bar fights. Furillo ended the column suggesting that Cousins and Barnes find “better places to hang out.”
Monday was the first time Furillo saw Cousins after the column was published. The altercation started with a glare from Cousins and quickly escalated as the player closed in on Furillo, shouting “We’re going to have some real f—ing issues. Don’t ever mention my brother again.” He continued his profane tirade, as teammate Garrett Temple got between the two and kept his arm around Cousins’ middle, and Kings spokesman Chris Clark motioned to Cousins to stop.
With fairness in mind to both parties, these are just small clips from a news entity that is portraying Cousins in a less than favorable light. We’re void of the full situation and some in the Sacramento media have said this might be a dramatization of what goes on in the locker room. But on the flipside, Cousins is a professional athlete. He could’ve easily pulled the reporters to the side and talked to them about the issues he had with their statements.
While DeMarcus Cousins drama seemingly has become endless over the last few years, it wouldn’t be right not to talk about his contributions to the community both in Sacramento and in Alabama. Boogie has contributed a ton to his hometown and adopted home in California. DeMarcus does so much for the kids and schools around those areas. Not to mention he gave a car to a single mother just about a year ago and he even paid for a funeral for a high school student.
But still, the negative things dominate the headlines. One thing after another rack up against Boogie, and it might end up costing him once again.
According to Sam Amick of USA Today, Cousins could soon be facing a penalty from the NBA.
The NBA was aware of Cousins situation in recent days. Strong sense that a penalty is coming. May be a couple days. https://t.co/YyWS95Cn65
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) December 17, 2016
Whatever does come out of this situation, it’s just another unfortunate look into the life and times of DeMarcus Cousins. A man who is often very kind and cordial to people but who does get annoyed when things portray him, and his family, in a negative light. He’s protecting his family, and with that thought in mind, you can’t blame him for how he did act. It’s just an overall murky situation that might not have a positive end in sight.
(UPDATE 12/20/16):
The Sacramento Kings have fined DeMarcus Cousins a ‘substantial amount’ following the release of this video, according to Marc Spears of ESPN’s ‘The Undefeated’.
The Kings have given a “substantial fine” to center DeMarcus Cousins for his recent run-in with a Sacramento Bee reporter. The fine amount was undisclosed and there was no game suspension from the Kings. Here is the Kings’ statement: “The Kings have a clear set of standards of conduct expected of our entire organization. As a result of negative interactions with certain members of the media that were not corrected after verbal warnings, we have decided to impose a substantial fine. If this behavior is repeated again we will be forced to consider further discipline.”
(UPDATE 12/20/16):
The “substantial” fine wound up being $50,000, reports the Sacramento Bee:
A week after DeMarcus Cousins confronted Sacramento Bee sports columnist Andy Furillo in the team’s locker room at Golden 1 Center, the Kings on Tuesday disciplined the All-Star center with a “substantial fine,” the team announced in a prepared statement.
A source who is knowledgeable about the fine but not authorized to speak publicly told The Bee it was $50,000.
Fining, rather than suspending Cousins feels a tad soft as Cousins clearly crossed a line with his behavior. However, the “if this behavior is repeated again we will be forced to consider further discipline” line is a good one to use; it helps convey to Cousins that his actions will not be tolerated in the future.
