Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Amid conflicting reports on what happened in the Washington Wizards locker room, the matter clearly goes beyond the team's original statement about Gilbert Arenas storing unloaded guns in his locker.
Two NBA officials who have been briefed on the investigation gave further details to The Associated Press on Saturday. Both said the matter involves a dispute over card-playing gambling debts and a heated discussion between Arenas and another player. One of the officials added the dispute was between Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton and began during a card game on the team's flight home from a West Coast road trip on Dec. 19.
The official said Crittenton and Arenas continued their dispute in the locker room -- where Arenas kept his guns -- when the team reconvened to practice on Dec. 21. Neither official was told of Arenas and Crittenton actually drawing guns on each other -- as the New York Post has reported.
The officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
"The situation involving an incident in the locker room is troubling to our family, our organization and our fans," the family of late Wizards owner Abe Pollin said in a statement released Saturday night. "We know our fans are frustrated and angry. The fact that guns were brought to the Verizon Center is dangerous and disappointing and showed extremely poor judgment."
Pollin died Nov. 24, and his family is running the team during the transition to a new ownership group. Pollin, who changed the team's name from Bullets in the 1990s because of the violent connotation, had little tolerance for player misbehavior.
"Guns have absolutely no place in a workplace environment and we will take further steps to ensure this never happens again," the statement said. "While the police investigation proceeds, we are limited in what we can say, but we want our fans to know that we will not rest until this situation is resolved and has come to a satisfactory conclusion."
