http://www.nba.com/blazers/news/Trail_Blazers_Statement_Regard-168585-41.html "This past Saturday, Feb. 11, while prepping the cabin area of the team plane for a flight from Boston to Toronto, a flight attendant discovered a handgun inside of Sebastian Telfair’s handmade pillow. Local authorities were notified immediately".
This past Saturday, Feb. 11, while prepping the cabin area of the team plane for a flight from Boston to Toronto, a flight attendant discovered a handgun inside of Sebastian Telfair’s handmade pillow. Local authorities were notified immediately. After questioning Sebastian and conducting a preliminary investigation, authorities accepted Sebastian’s explanation that he had inadvertently grabbed his girlfriend’s bag by mistake when he left for the team’s current road trip. The bag contained his girlfriend’s handgun that she purchased from a licensed gun retailer in Oregon for her personal protection. When Sebastian made the discovery while in flight, he placed the gun inside his own pillow and chose to leave it on the plane for the rest of the trip. We have been told by the Massachusetts authorities that they conducted an extensive investigation and checked the key aspects of Sebastian’s story, closing the investigation late last night apparently satisfied there was no illegal activity. Sebastian will be disciplined for violating league and team policy related to its ban on all firearms on team transportation. The NBA has indicated this matter is now under review by the league office. "While we had to allow the legal process to run its course, and we’re grateful it appears that the authorities have determined Sebastian initially made an innocent mistake, he clearly compounded the situation by making the wrong choice by not notifying the team’s traveling security agent about his situation immediately," said Trail Blazers President Steve Patterson. "He has apologized profusely, but he knows he must be held accountable for his actions. He will pay the price for his error in judgment for violating both team and league policy. The organization has also earned a lesson from this issue and is taking steps to tighten security for all carry-on items on our team plane."
I'm not saying that he's being untruthful, but couldn't anybody have a ready-made excuse like that? Have your girlfriend buy a legal, registered gun, and then just carry it around yourself everywhere you go. If you get caught with it in an airplane, it's all a big mistake. Same deal with Melo and his weed.
Hopefully the cops checked the bag to see if there were other things in there that would make it clear it was not his bag. If it was full of womens close he's either telling the truth or was very prepared for a situation like this.
the excuse sounds stupid, but is there any good reason why he would carry a gun on him on an international flight during a team trip? And is his gf in boston? or does it mean that he carried it from portland to boston as well?
I guess that his pillow being VERY heavy and uncomfortable wasn't a sign. And his girlfriend rolls with guns in her pillows? Wow he is a bad liar.
It's a charter flight, so the team bus probably just rolls up to the plane and the team gets on. No metal detectors or anything like that.
Why do we have to wait for times like these to learn or be proactive? We indeed have a death of leadership accross the nation - I do not see enough proactive leaders anymore just folks waiting for something to happen before acting all the time. Indeed there are certain things one cannot forecast or read very well from afar but security measures like these should not require alarming action before reaction (proper measures put in place proactively) - especially if your team in the Trailblazers and you are fighting hard to clean up your image. Gosh where does Steve Paterson and co find these guys or is there something in the water in Portland, OR?
