INDIANAPOLIS -- At least one of the suspended Indiana Pacers has reacted to his suspension following Friday's brawl during a game versus the Detroit Pistons.

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Video: Watch Brawl
Slideshow: Images Of Chaos
Slideshow: Players, Coaches React
Survey: Artest's Punishment?
Survey: Blame For Fight?
Discuss: Your Thoughts?
Wil's Blog: What's Next?

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Ron Artest, who was suspended for the remainder of the season, released a statement through the player's union, saying:

"I respect David Stern, but I don't think that he has been fair with me in this situation. It is very important to me that people understand that I didn't mean for the situation to turn out like it did."

Sunday, RTV6 reached Jermaine O'Neal's agent, Arn Tellum, who said that O'Neal would not immediately comment on the suspensions for several legal reasons.

Tellum said he expected O'Neal to comment on his 25-game suspension later this week.

Tellum released the following statement:

"No one can condone what happened in Auburn Hills. But no one can justify the NBA's rush to judgment regarding Jermaine O'Neal. The facts are undisputed: Jermaine O'Neal never left the court during the entire incident. We will vigorously contest the NBA's outrageous decision and demand that his side of the story be heard."

Player	Games Suspended	Salary	Salary Lost
Ron Artest (Indiana)	73	$6.2 million	$4.95 million
Stephen Jackson (Indiana)	30	$5.1 million	$1.7 million
Jermaine O'Neal (Indiana)	25	$14.8 million	$4.1 million
Ben Wallace (Detroit)	6	$6 million	$400,000
Anthony Johnson (Indiana)	5	$2.2 million	$122,222
Reggie Miller (Indiana)	1	$5.5 million	$61,111
Chauncey Billups (Detroit)	1	$5.5 million	$60,611
Derrick Coleman (Detroit)	1	$4.5 million	$50,000
Elden Campbell (Detroit)	1	$4.4 million	$48,888

The head of the NBA players' union, Billy Hunter, said there will be an appeal challenging the suspensions of all nine players involved in the brawl.

The melee started on the court and eventually found its way into the seats and included the fans at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

"It was unanimous, one to zero," said NBA Commissioner David Stern about the decision. "It was my decision and I decided it."

Artest's teammate, Stephen Jackson, received a 30-game suspension for fighting with fans in the stands. Indiana will also lose Anthony Johnson for five games.

Detroit suffered it biggest loss with a six-game suspension to Ben Wallace, whose two-handed shove to Artest's face instigated the fracas. Four other players received a one-game penalty for leaving the bench during an on-court altercation. This list includes Indiana's Reggie Miller, and Detroit's Elden Campbell, Chauncey Billups and Derrick Coleman.

"The actions of the players involved wildly exceeded the professionalism and self-control that should fairly be expected from NBA players," said Stern.

All together, nine players were suspended for a total of 143 games. The suspensions will be without pay and they are not expected to be staggered.

Indiana defeated Detroit 97-82 in a game that was stopped late in the fourth quarter due to the fight.

The Pacers led a seemingly calm game by 15 points with 45 seconds left and then things unraveled. Wallace was fouled by Artest and the Pistons center took exception to what he deemed a hard foul and gave Artest a two-handed push to the face.

After that, the fighting continued by the scorers' table as players came off both benches to continue the melee on the court. The Detroit fans then lost all control and began throwing cups filled with liquid and ice at Artest, who was surprisingly staying out of harm's way on top of the scorer's table.

Artest was hit in the head with a flying cup and immediately raced into the stands, where he started punching whom he thought was the culprit.

Video

See Video Of Pistons-Pacers Fight

Jackson followed into the crowd, along with several Pacer players, and started swinging away at the unruly fans.

"Mr. Jackson was well into the stands and he certainly wasn't going in as a peacemaker," said Stern.

Artest apologized on Sunday. He said he respected David Stern, but called the suspension unfair.

"It is very important to me that people understand that I didn't mean for the situation to turn out like it did," Artest said in a statement.

But Tom Wilson, CEO of the Detroit Pistons, said the suspensions will serve a purpose.

"I think the message the league sent was so powerful to players that they'll never do that again," he said.

Although the NBA can't fine or suspend fans, Stern said fans at Friday's game share some of the blame for what happened.

Fans who threw punches, food and drinks at the players were "out of control," said the commissioner, who called the behavior disgusting.

A prosecutor says that fans, players and other team personnel could face criminal charges for their roles in the melee.

The Detroit Pistons fan suspected of throwing a beverage on Ron Artest, reportedly leading to Friday night's brawl, has been identified and is wanted for questioning.

Police identified this fan as John Green, of West Bloomfield.

Previous Stories:

• November 22, 2004: Massive Suspensions Gut Pacers
• November 20, 2004: Three Pacers, One Piston Suspended Over Brawl
• November 19, 2004:Basketbrawl: Fight Between Fans, Pacers Ends Game