Roy Tarpley Settles Suit Against Maverics
http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/41321187.html
Former NBA player Roy Tarpley has settled a federal lawsuit against the NBA and the Dallas Mavericks.
Tarpley filed the lawsuit in September 2007, claiming the league and team violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing to reinstate him after a ban for drug use. He argued that he was discriminated against because he was a recovering drug and alcohol abuser.
Fond memories of Tarpley, Grant, Joubert - the M teams of my youth - but not the best citizens.
Bill Frieder was a good coach, but he had basically no control of his players off the court. Sadly, this is the guy Steve Fisher learned from.
March 16th, 2009 at 11:44 PM ^
I tended bar at a local hotel when Tarpley played at UM. A customer from Illinois found some extra tickets for the UM-Illinois game that night and gave me one. We talked about the respective teams, and I talked about UM's All-American center, Tarpley.
Anyway, at halftime, the customer, who was about as old as I am now, told me Tarpley was doing drugs. He then told me why he thought so, which is a subject for another post, and asked me a great question:
If a 50 year-old drunk who is just a fan can see this from twenty rows up in one half of basketball, why can't the coach who does this for a living and is around him every day see it?
As for any illusions that Frieder was a "nice guy," they are just that: illusions. Bill Frieder was an asshole. I sat behind him at a baseball game and watched him treat a bunch of kids who went up and talked to him like they were his best friend, only to say stuff like "what a fucking loser" to his buddy sitting next to him the minute they were out of earshot.
Bill Frieder didn't give a shit about any of his players or what they did as long as they stayed off the police blotter while they played for UM. I think Fisher cared and was great at recruiting and x's and o's, but was pathetically overmatched when it came to babysitting teenagers.