Gilbert Arenas Awaits Word From NBA: 'Stern Is Mean'

PHILADELPHIA -- On the day a grand jury in Washington reportedly began to hear evidence against him, Gilbert Arenas spoke like a man who has more to fear from the NBA commissioner than from any of the law enforcement agencies probing into his involvement with guns.

The Washington Post reported Tuesday that the grand jury was seated in D.C. Superior Court and will continue to hear evidence until a conclusion is reached, possibly by the end of the week. That likely includes information Arenas and his lawyers voluntarily gave to federal and local investigators Monday.

After the Wizards defeated the 76ers 104-97 at the Wachovia Center on Tuesday evening, Arenas said he did not expect to have to testify again -- but, he added, "I probably just have to talk to David Stern, because most likely he's getting a lot of pressure, because there are a lot of stories going around, to have him act before the (district attorney) does.''

He said that he had not heard from anybody from the NBA yet -- the league office has not reacted publicly to the events of the last two days surrounding Arenas' acknowledgment that he did bring four unloaded guns into the Verizon Center locker room on Dec. 21.

But, he continued, he was more worried about possible discipline from the league office than from the legal system.

"Stern is mean,'' Arenas said. "But ... yeah, because he might make his decision before (authorities do). I don't know. All I can do is go out and play.''

Yet he also said he did not believe the league's action would be all that severe: "I've looked at some of the other charges that have been brought against other people, and they were (suspended for) three-to-five games.''

The longest suspension given an NBA player in a gun-related incident is seven games, by then-Indiana guard Stephen Jackson in 2007. In that case, and most others involving off-court incidents with players, the league waited until the legal process has been completed before handing down any discipline, but there have been no guarantees it will do the same in this case.

"If I really did something wrong, it would bother me. I would feel remorse for what I did, but I didn't do anything.''
- Gilbert Arenas Arenas gave post-game interviews for the second game in a row since the first -- and now, by all accounts, at least somewhat exaggerated -- report in the New York Post was published New Year's Day, about the encounter in the locker room Dec. 21 between Arenas and Javaris Crittenton. His remarks tonight, as was the case Saturday in Washington (when he laughed off the incident and called himself a "goofball''), might not have done his case or his image much good.

Along with his views on NBA and legal justice, Arenas also repeated that the stories that have been published so far about the incident are "way far from the truth,'' and that he is comfortable with what he told investigators Monday. But he also said: "If I really did something wrong, it would bother me. I would feel remorse for what I did, but I didn't do anything.'' The day before, he had apologized for what he had done, while admitting that bringing the guns to the locker room was a "misguided effort to play a joke'' on Crittenton.

As for the ever-evolving version of what exactly happened that day, Arenas said, "At the end of the day, when it's all said and done, all I want is a 'sorry.' Apologize, maybe just small-print, just one person do it. That's all I want.'' In the original New York Post story, the incident was described as the two players drawing guns on each other in the locker room; it now seems apparent that Crittenton never had a gun on the premises or on his person.

Arenas was booed and taunted throughout the game by 76ers fans, some of whom held up signs about him ("Disarm Agent Zero'' read one, which was confiscated and destroyed by arena security).

"They were on me before this happened. They're on everybody,'' he said of the fans. "I gotta go to Cleveland tomorrow, and they're worse. They actually hate us.''

Those fans likely will be fueled by yet another gaffe -- for which Arenas tried to later apologize on Twitter -- when he was caught in a photo pointing his fingers at his teammates surrounding him during warmups before the game. He said after the game that the Wizards players talked him into doing a joking version of a touchdown celebration from the movie Any Given Sunday.



Arenas did jab back at Rev. Al Sharpton, who on Monday announced that he had spoken to Stern about him and was calling for a meeting of players, team executives and community leaders "to deal with the violent imagery being perpetrated by players,'' according to a statement from Sharpton.

"Yeah, I heard about it,'' Arenas said. "But it's kind of funny how people like him who are supposed to be for the people, to make a comment like that when he hasn't heard anything. He's just read the paper, and to make a comment like that, for a leader, especially a black leader, to make a comment like that, I don't think that was fair.''

The NBA did not respond to Sharpton's comments.

Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld was interviewed by investigators in Washington, Comcast SportsNet Washington reported Tuesday evening. A report surfaced Monday that coach Flip Saunders was to be interviewed Tuesday, but he was at the morning shootaround at Wachovia Center and coached the game.

Before the game, 76ers coach Eddie Jordan, who coached Arenas with the Wizards for parts of five seasons, spoke briefly about him, and still managed to step on a verbal land mine.

"When I think of Gilbert, he's a heck of a three-point shooter, he drives to the basket, he's an assassin on the floor, he's a real good player,'' Jordan said. "And that's all I'm concerned about with Gilbert Arenas.'' Seconds later, he re-thought one adjective -- assassin -- and added, "Maybe I shouldn't have used that word. 'On the floor.'''