Contrite Jackson returns
Stitches on Pacer's lips to sideline him tonight
By Mark Montieth
mark.montieth@indystar.com
Stephen Jackson's feelings appeared to be bruised more than his body as he rejoined his Indiana Pacers teammates Tuesday in practice.
Jackson participated in the three-hour workout at Conseco Fieldhouse for the first time since he was involved in an incident early Friday morning outside a Westside strip club.
He issued an informal apology afterward but did not take questions.
"I'm sorry for this incident," he said. "I want to apologize to my teammates and the fans. It was definitely an unfortunate incident."
Jackson received stitches as a result of being punched in the mouth after an argument inside Club Rio spilled into the parking lot. He also was struck by a car, avoiding serious injury by jumping into the air and rolling across the hood, over the roof and off the back of the vehicle.
Indianapolis police said Jackson fired five shots with a registered handgun. He fired at least one shot before the car hit him.
Indianapolis police arrested Deon "Dino" Willford, 23, at about 1 a.m. Tuesday on initial charges of criminal recklessness, leaving the scene of an accident and driving without a license. He was held in Marion County Jail, with bond set at $100,000.
Another man, Quentin "Fingers" Willford, 24, was questioned by police but not arrested. A third man is being sought.
Jackson's lips were swollen, but he wore no bandages and was seen shooting with no problems after media were permitted to watch the end of Tuesday's practice. He will not play in tonight's first preseason game against visiting New Jersey but could play Saturday at home against Utah.
"If he breaks his stitches now, he's set back even more," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Tuesday. "He did more today than we expected him to. Fortunately he didn't take any hits or anything."
Jackson mentioned that he did not have legal issues before or since the brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills (Mich.) in November 2004, when he was suspended by the NBA and pleaded no contest to misdemeanor assault for his part in the melee. Jackson remains on probation.
He also expressed gratitude for escaping the incident without serious injury.
"I'm definitely blessed to be here today," he said. "I didn't think I'd be waking up the next morning after I got hit by a car being able to walk.
"I definitely take responsibility for my actions. Hopefully I can move on from this and be the type of player this organization wants me to be."
Pacers president Larry Bird also made his first public comments on the incident Tuesday, but limited himself in light of the ongoing investigation.
"As an organization we can't have a lot of comments about what happened because we don't know what happened," Bird said. "We don't know the full story.
"Are we disappointed? We're very disappointed. It hurts. If you care about this franchise and you're part of it, it's got to hurt."
Bird addressed the team before practice and praised their effort so far in training camp.
"They've been doing an awesome job and a lot of guys have played very well," he said.
"We're very excited about the season getting started."
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
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