The Bull May Stop Here Kicking A Courtside Cameraman May Result In Assault Charges Against Chicago’s Rodman
This time, Dennis Rodman might be facing more than a suspension.
Prosecutors were considering assault charges Thursday against the Chicago Bulls star for kicking a courtside cameraman in the groin during a game at Minnesota the previous night.
“He wants to say that it’s not OK for (Rodman) to do that,” said Gale Pearson, the lawyer for camera-man Eugene Amos. “If we were on the streets, it would not be OK. You’ve got to call it what it is, and that’s an assault.”
The NBA said Thursday it is reviewing the incident and considering a suspension, which would be the second of the season for Rodman.
Although the extent of Amos’ injuries weren’t known, they weren’t believed to be serious. He was treated and released at the hospital Wednesday night.
Minneapolis police spokeswoman Penny Parrish said no charges would be filed Thursday. Pearson said she and Amos were to meet with prosecutors today.
The investigating officer, Sgt. Pete Jackson, was off Thursday and Parrish said the process will take several days, including attempts to contact Rodman.
Clair Cole of the Minneapolis city attorney’s office said charges wouldn’t be filed before next week.
Rodman said he didn’t intend to hurt Amos, but doubted the severity of the injuries.
“I thought I hit him in the thigh, then all of a sudden he went back,” he said. “I said, ‘What’s wrong with you? I’m sorry I hit you.’ Then all of a sudden he says, ‘Get away from me.’ All of a sudden he passed out. I’m like, ‘Yeah, right.”’
The incident was the latest in a growing list of transgressions and erratic behavior by Rodman. Pearson said she was receiving calls from media nationwide Thursday, including representatives of Geraldo Rivera.
Amos, described by Pearson as a Chicago native and lifelong Bulls fan, is an in-house cameraman who was working on a freelance basis at the Target Center.
He filed an assault report Wednesday night after talking to police at the Hennepin County Medical Center, where he was taken for an examination after being carried off the arena floor on a stretcher.
If a charge is filed, it most likely will be fifth-degree assault, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $3,000 fine. Cases resulting in serious injuries can be upgraded to third-degree assault, a felony which carries a maximum sentence of five years and $10,000.
The cameraman’s lawyer said Rodman had no right to kick Amos, no matter where the blow landed.
“He was really disappointed in this type of activity,” Pearson said. “He couldn’t believe that Rodman would take his frustrations out on him. That’s the bottom line. He can’t believe this happened. He’s really disappointed. It’s a fallen-angel kind of thing.”
Rodman was suspended by the Bulls for two games without pay - costing him about $104,878 - last month after a profane tirade on television after a game. Rodman’s comments after Wednesday’s game also contained profanity and were broadcast live.
Last season Rodman, who has won five straight NBA rebounding titles and earlier this week reached 10,000 rebounds, was suspended six games for head-butting a referee.
“As with all situations that we review, we’ll look at videotape, our security will talk to all parties involved,” NBA spokesman Chris Brienza said Thursday. “We’ll wait to get as many camera angles as we can and then we’ll make a decision.”
Rodman was unavailable for comment Thursday after practice in Deerfield, Ill. He said after the game that he was kicking at a camera and complained that photographers sit too close to the court along the baseline, endangering players’ safety.
This was the second time in less than a week that Amos had been involved with a player at courtside. Los Angeles Clippers forward Rodney Rogers fell on Amos during a game Saturday, and Amos told colleagues before Wednesday’s game that he had been given medication for back pain.
Pearson declined comment on those injuries, saying only that Amos would be examined by doctors.