Thabo Sefolosha found not guilty of all charges stemming from NYPD altercation
It took 90 minutes for a jury to acquit Atlanta Hawks wing Thabo Sefolosha of charges stemming from an altercation with police following the stabbing of then-Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland outside a popular New York City nightclub in the wee hours of a morning this past April.
Sefolosha was charged with misdemeanor obstructing government administration, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest during a post-stabbing fracas on the street outside the venue, and he was found not guilty on all accounts early Friday morning, according to The Associated Press.
NBA Players’ Association executive director Michele Roberts applauded the jury soon after the decision.
Sefolosha and the NYPD offered conflicting accounts as to who was the aggressor during a melee that left the Hawks player with a broken leg that cost him the remainder of the 2014-15 NBA season — and may have ended Atlanta’s season prematurely, too — but the jury ultimately sided with the Swiss native.
He can now return his focus to the basketball court, although the possibility remains that Sefolosha could turn around and sue the NYPD in civil court, particularly if the 31-year-old doesn’t regain form in 2015-16.
Sefolosha’s attorney accused the NYPD of profiling “a black man in a hoodie” during his opening remarks to the trial earlier this week. The city’s police department is already facing harsh criticism concerning alleged racial profiling in the arrest of tennis star James Blake and the choking death of Eric Garner.
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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
