http://www.nwcn.com/sports/stories/kgw_1205_sports_patterson_fined.74390e0f.html My apologies if this has been posted Yet another exemplary Jailblazer.
Here is the AP article Blazers fine Patterson $100,000 PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Portland Trail Blazers fined forward Ruben Patterson $100,000 as punishment for his most recent legal troubles. The Blazers released a statement saying they had fined Patterson for "conduct detrimental to the team, the organization, its fans and the city of Portland." The Blazers also want Patterson to be required by the league and the Players Association to undergo an evaluation by an expert and receive counseling. If this request is granted, the Blazers would levy additional fines of $10,000 per day until Patterson comes in compliance with the request. "We care about Ruben and his family and want to respect their privacy as they deal with these personal issues," Blazers president and general manager Bob Whitsitt said in the statement. "However, each of our players needs to understand that there is a standard of conduct that they are expected to maintain as members of our team and this community." It was not immediately known if Patterson or the Players Association would appeal the fine or the request for counselling. Patterson was arrested Nov. 25 on a felony domestic assault charge after his wife, Shannon, called 911 and said he assaulted her at their home. He was released from jail after a teammate posted $1,000 bail. Prosecutors dropped the case this week after Shannon Patterson said she did not want to press charges. Ruben Patterson has a history of violent crimes. In 2001, Patterson entered a modified guilty plea in Washington state to attempted rape. Under the agreement, Patterson did not admit guilt, but acknowledged there was enough evidence to convict him. He was sentenced to a year in jail, but a judge suspended all but 15 days of the sentence, which Patterson served in his Cleveland home. The NBA suspended him for the first five games of last season, his first with the Blazers after signing a six-year, $33.80-million deal as a free agent following two years with the SuperSonics. Patterson also was convicted of misdemeanour assault in February 2001 for attacking a man who scratched his car outside a Cleveland nightclub the previous year.
