Stern Gets Very Stern: Suspends NBA Star Gilbert Arenas Indefinitely as U.S. Atty. Continues Probe

David Stern being very stern/nba photo

WASHINGTON — NBA star Gilbert Arenas of the  Washington Wizards, the subject of a criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the D.C. police, was suspended indefinitely on Wednesday by the league’s Commissioner David Stern.

“Although it is clear that the actions of Mr. Arenas will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse, his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game,” Stern said in a statement. “Accordingly, I am suspending Mr. Arenas indefinitely, without pay, effective immediately pending the completion of the investigation by the NBA.”

The ongoing criminal investigation has centered around Arenas storing four of his guns at the Verizon Center in the Chinatown section of Northwest Washington. He has said he wanted to get them out of his house and away from his children.

“The possession of firearms by an NBA player in an NBA arena is a matter of the utmost concern to us,” Stern said. “I initially thought it prudent to refrain from taking immediate action because of the pendency of a criminal investigation involving the office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia and the Metropolitan Police Department, and the consideration of this matter by a grand jury sitting in the District of Columbia. For the same reason, I directed the Wizards to refrain from taking any action.

“Wizards personnel continue to be interviewed by law enforcement authorities, some are scheduled for appearance before the grand jury and the investigation is proceeding with the intensity that one would expect for such a serious incident,” he said.

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