Tribunal Result - Cedric Crawford
Kalamunda Eastern Suns player Cedric Crawford faced the SBL Tribunal last night on a report of striking following an alleged incident in the Eastern Suns game against Wanneroo on April 17 at Ray Owen Sports Centre.
Crawford pleaded guilty to the charge and was banned for a total of ten SBL fixtures, with seven of them suspended on the condition that he attends weekly counselling/mentoring sessions, specifically on his anger and frustration issues. Weekly progress is to be provided by the mentor to Basketball WA.
As a result, Crawford will miss the next three SBL fixtures for the Eastern Suns (April 22 vs. Buccs, April 29 vs. Tigers & April 30 vs. Redbacks). Crawford will then continue to attend counselling sessions for the duration of the suspension (through till June 18).
The tribunal acknowledged the seriousness of the charges, while taking into consideration the surrounding issues resulting in the charge and the actions taken by the club off-court.
Kalamunda Eastern Suns Chairman Peter Hanson commented on the result:
“The Eastern Suns do not condone the actions by Cedric but do acknowledge that the Tribunal has delivered their verdict and that the Eastern Suns accepts the findings.”
“The club will deal with the incident on a club level and we are mindful that we have been made responsible to ensure that no repeat occurs.”
“The message is that it is important that all clubs take responsibility to ensure their players behave in a sportsmanlike manner be it verbal or physical.”
Crawford was also yesterday fined $250.00 by the SBL for a separate incident at Cockburn the week before. The fine was for his actions on and off-court during an incident that resulted in his nose being broken during the fourth quarter of the game against the Cougars.
“The SBL reminds all players, coaches and club officials that there are standards and expectations set out by the league” said Competitions Manager Christian Rice.
“We are committed to ensuring that the SBL is a positive experience for those involved as well as the fans. Any actions that are found to not reflect positively on the league, will face league penalties.”
Photo by Mick Cronin
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