It’s a huge story that few in mainstream sports media have touched.
They’ve tweeted about it. I’m sure they’ve talked about is amongst their circles of friends and colleagues. Yet, Thabo Sefolosha’s injury hasn’t received the attention it deserves.
The trial, in which the 31-year old NBA veteran was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, obstruction of governmental administration and resisting arrest, began this week in New York. In his testimony on Wednesday, Sefolosha testified that he and Officer JohnPaul Giacona traded exchanges and that the officer was cursing at him. Somewhere in the exchange, Sefolosha admits that he took a jab verbally at the office saying, “You’re 5-foot-2. If you saw me in a different place, you wouldn’t say that. You’re a midget.” This was after Giacona said he could beat Sefolosha in a fight.
Now, let me pause right here.
You have a professional athlete who’s listed as 6'7 and 222lbs. If you’ve seen Sefolosha play, you definitely wouldn’t question his toughness. Cops in New York are notorious for throwing their weight around with people in general. Although people of color get the verbal accuse and antagonistic jawing way worst. Also, let’s posit this as a theory— if this were any other recognizable black basketball player, the officer likely wouldn’t have challenged him in that manner. The officer was talking sh*t, because to him, Sefolosha was just another tall black guy in a hoodie.
Back to the testimony.
Multiple witnesses stated the officer was aggressive and generally disrespectful. Sefolosha didn’t like it so he said something directly to the office as a snarky retort. (Not against the law btw.) What initiated the assault on Sefolosha was when an officer prevented him from handing a beggar some money. 5 or 6 officers pounced on him at that point which resulted in his broken leg.
There’s multiple factors at play within the testimony. Also worth mentioning that just weeks ago, tennis star James Blake was arrested for mistaken identity. In the video, we witnessed a plain-clothes officer attack him.
For Sefolosha, civilly, it’s important to look at what this false arrest and its consequential injury did and could cost him. He missed the playoffs. The broken leg was bad enough that he needed surgery. That takes months to heal from enough to be ready to return to his job as a professional athlete. He’s under contract with Atlanta for 2 more seasons. But it’s impossible to say how effective he can be in terms of earning money going forward or even have any value to be traded.
Moreover, resisting arrest is the most trumped up charge in the entire legal system. Resisting is essentially a Hail Mary that’s added to whatever the original charges are. “Stop resisting” is what the cops say to cover their own behinds should the case go to trial or injury occur.
But my problem with this case is not the case itself. It’s the fact that you have to rely on independently-run websites or Reddit for updates and commentary. If this had happened to a major NBA star, we wouldn’t be able to escape the coverage. Yet because this happened to just another black athlete, it’s flying under the radar.
I’m glad that Sefolosha refused a plea deal. I’m glad that he decided to take it to trial so that the NYPD can be sued in civil court.
Whether it’s been your experience or not, officers over-police and have gone beyond appropriate use of force against countless black men. It doesn’t matter what the situation is, the law gives officers a long leash. Even rich, educated black men can’t get the foot of the system off their necks. Or legs. Sefolosha, along with James Blake, are just the system’s latest victims.
