I think they got it right. There isn't much they could have done in terms of fines or suspension, but they still let it known what a tool he was. And I don’t believe that fines/suspensions should be used to set examples - they are there to punish players for an incident and that’s it.

You’d hope the Tigers leadership group would issue some penalty but I won’t hold my breath on that one.

obviously im one of hodges biggest fans - but this still suprises me a bit - surely a fine for misconduct or something was at least required?

Nbl got it right and should award him player of the week for his superb shooting display lol, nah but in all honesty Worthington should get it for his sportsmanship and how well he played to secure the win for the Tigers

what a joke. The NBL's blind if they honestly think that Hodge didn't bring the game into disrepute with his actions.

Its more of this any publicity is good publicity crap. So the Tiger Woods scandal is good for golf? The Indiana/Detroit incident was good for the NBA? What about the Kobe Bryant rape trial? The Matty Johns scandal was good for the NRL was it?

I've just about had enough of this league.

What a shame the Sixers didn't lodge a complaint with the league, although having said that, under the rules & regs it was hard to find a clause to ping him with.
At least Chuck threw in a few barbs about how immature he is- would be embarassing for Hodge and his cult followers to have a GM call you juvenile and distasteful haha.

Jordan, you're comparing it to the most extreme examples of any sport. Yeah, he pissed the crowd off and disrespected a local legend, but there probably isn't much the league can do.

.. yes I see. An all in brawl must actually have to begin and people injured before charges can be laid to prevent similar issues in the future.. sounds about right.

Maybe Ben didn't wanna lodge a complaint.

I wonder how long it will take for some smartass to update his wikipedia entry with Chuck's quotes!

Best if the circus just peters out... . . . . . . .

This amazes me.
If Hodge's team mates had not dragged him off of the court, does anyone think Hodge would not have charged into the stands?
I have watched the replay quite a few times now, and IMO he was keen as to take on whoever threw the cup.

Cup thrower should be banned for the season, Hodge should be suspended, or at least receive a suspended sentence.

But technically according to the league and the rules they can work under to fine or suspend him, he TECHNICALLY didn't do anything.
Bitter pill to swallow I agree.

DB5, you are probably right. But as nothing that serious did eventuate, what can be done?

Maybe a suspended sentence could have been issued but I think the remarks from Chuck will haunt Hodge much longer than any punishment. I don't think even the lowly New Jersey Nets would be interested in a guy who is willing to put his own personal agenda above his teams.

Gutless decision by the NBL, IMO. Nobody wins here - the NBL loses further credibility, Hodge's actions are vindicated and implicitly recognised as acceptable behaviour, 36ers fans (the 99.999% of them who behaved sensibly) and Brett Maher cop the narcissism and petulant behaviour of an alleged adult on the chin with no sense of justice. Chuck can't say "clearly Hodge went over the top" and then do nothing about it... classic politician-esque doublespeak.

This is the right decision. I have been silently following all of these threads, and I think that the NBL is entirely right.

Hodge over celebrated a win against a team and club that he clearly has a problem with. It was inappropriate, immature and quite frankly idiotic. But showing some passion is certainly not something the NBL can censure.

Hodge's response was an overreaction. So apparently was the response of some of the crowd. I am no fan of Hodge (any more), but it would be rather hypocritical of me to defend Harvey's ability to celebrate a win last week without getting shoved, and yet call for blood regarding Hodge.

I am sure that this will be remembered by the NBL, Hodge and the crowd for the future, and is one more black mark against Hodge's good name in this league. He has done himself no favours, and received stinging criticisms across the league. IMHO, that is punishment enough for his stupidity.

TC2, I personally do not think he gives a shit what anyone in this country thinks of him.
This is a farce.

Harmison proves once again that Head Office has no kahunas.

But what could they possibly do? And what other similar incidents have they handled poorly to make you say they are gutless?

(Seen as I wrote this in the Hodge stomp thread thought i'd post it again in this new thread!!)

Wow!!

What a massive joke of a decision!!

on one hand we get a Harmison going on about how juvenile and disappointing the act was and how it disrespected Maher.. i'd also add the 36'ers, basketball in the state and I'd go as far as Basketball in this country as Brett's legacy and standing is right at the top of this and as even Anstey and Worthington have stated it was out of line.

Not to mention the provocative nature and how it could of incited something very serious.. Hodge was trying to get at the cup thrower until he was pulled away.. other codes in this country would at least ask for an explanation from the club and take it from there at the minimum!!

so the 36ers didn't make a complaint so thats it!! now I'm not up on the rules unfortunately but surely that should not be up to the 36'ers!! the league needs to take responsibility for it code and players (along with the clubs additionally, so i will be interested if the Tigers have more to offer..)

So after all this what we have is the loss which now hurts more!!, Hodge feeling pretty pleased with himself after getting one over the club (long term who knows for the guy what it will do) and significantly Adelaide 36er fans have been accused of racism in all national media outlets and that may be the most significant thing to come out of it.

If true lets find out and catch them, but if no one else backs that up and it's just Hodge's word then that mud still sticks whether its true or not and that would be very sad for the club and fans.

And even if HE doesn't care what people think, his career in Australia (after this Tigers stint) is over, and he has potentially ruined other chances. So no matter what he thinks, the perception of being an immature and classless fool is going to sting him at some stage, more than what a suspended sentence will do.

A fair and decent outcome well handled by the NBL.

I would have loved to have seen Hodge imposed with a penalty, but really whilst nobody liked his actions and childish behaviour, they did not warrant any such sanctions.

What does other similar incidents have to do with anything? I said it was a gutless decision. As to what they could do, it seems pretty obvious - they could fine and/or suspend Hodge.

I'd like to know what's actually covered in the NBL's mythical "Code of Conduct" which is referenced in Chuck's statement. It must be pretty forgiving! Perhaps it stipulates that "all players should try to be as nice as possible at all times. Non-nice acts will result in a stern talking-to."

hereschenes, you said "once again". I want to know what other decisions you are comparing it with to say "once again"

So if you give the bird to the crowd you can be fined, but if you stand in the middle of the court and stomp your feet on something which is known as special to over 6000 people, and the crowd react to this in a violent way.

Please tell me how this is not bad sportsmanship and worthy of penalty from the league

soft response from the NBL

Lol... I see. You must have been quoting DB5, but I thought you were responding to me. A comedy of errors.

But he has had this perceived of him in college, NBA and wherever he played last. Read up on his blogs that he wrote, then the comments after.

I had not bagged the guy before this, and actually liked the banter leading into Saturday night, however the stomping (just purely disrespectful and not what he should be cited for) and then the antics with the crowd (definately should be cited for this) has got me going.

Suspended sentence at minimum IMO. And yes our GM should be cited for his actions as well.

As far as other similar incidents...grr mental blank, let me get back to you on that one. : )

Whoops, my bad. Confusion setting in.

I did mean for that to go to DB5.

hereschenes I posted the guide they use and the fines/ penalties on the looooong Hodge thread somewhere.

DB5 goes cross eyed figuring out who is saying what to who, and when......lol.

Thanks HAHA, I'll have a look.

As for similar incidents, there's a reason why Boti calls him Chuck Harmlessone!

But do you think that those other incidents should have resulted in penalties?

I'm not bothering to look at the articles regarding the policing of the salary cap etc.

Surely the salary cap farce of recent years is the best example of all though? Anyway, as mentioned this questioning isn't for me so I'll bow out...

The 36ers have issued a press release saying that they accept the NBL's ruling and will continue to focus on this week's games.

Na, thats cool, hereschenes, happy for you to respond.

The reason I wasn't going to mention the cap farce is because I don't think it would be fair to blame Chuck entirely for the mess. It;s easy to say he should have enforced it, but without resources, and with owners working against him, there isn't much he could do.

If you think that some of the other warnings and suspensions that have happened recently aren't adequate then that is a different story.

TC2, will get back to you, just a bit busy. Mental blank still there.

However I was thinking of the salary cap off hand, and the different Seamus situations. Also the Heal saga with the dude from OzHo (cannot quite remember the outcome of that one).
Joyce to the power of 2 was one from memory as well I think?

The two most recent Seamus incidents have been handled well. Big fines, along with suspending the court announcer.

The Heal thing - not much they could do, the guy dropped the charges and there was no proof.

Not sure about Joyce stuff.

The comment he gave after Homicide went silly in Perth last year were quite good, as was last weeks issuing of fines.

Add to that Ansteys Elbow on Maher that went un-suspended!

Did not realise the Heal thing was dropped. What was the Homicide comment?

Similar to the Hodge one except he didn't call him out for being a total tool.

Heal threatened legal action against Cez and he was pressured into dropping his complaint.

KJ thank you. That was one I was trying to remember. But he wasn't aiming for Maher...lol

True since he hit the wrong person he shouldn't get a suspension. However, Since he hit MAHER he should get 5 games suspension :P

*sigh*

I didn't expect much else from BA to be honest.

Eh. Let's move on.

OK MAYBE HODGES DISPICABLE ACTIONS DONT WARRANT A SUSPENSION OR FINE BUT COME ON AT LEAST A LITTLE FINE FROM THE TIGERS CLUB
BELIEVE ME IF A SIXER PLAYER HAD DISRESPECTED ANDREW GAZE IN ANY WAY YOU CAN BET HE WOULD HAVE GOT A SUSPENSION AND FINE
HODGE SHOULD RECEIVED SOME SORT OF PUNISHMENT

Doesn't bode well for a players future with a team when you were a late-season ring-in, then you behave in a way that so obviously disappoints your captain and coach (which is not so unusual in any sport).......but then you have the gall/ego to say you would do it again!!! I hope he gets some form of punishment if not from the NBL then from his own club, even if it's just for publically disagreeing with your own coach!!!

hereschenes, I clicked on your link and the sixth Google match disturbed me .... a lot.

'Unicorn' born in captivity: Related ArticlesErection drug warning. THREE people are in hospital after taking a potentially ... CHUCK Harmison six months ago in these pages candidly admitted the NBL's ...
search.news.com.au/related/id:story%7C23851218/160/?us...

Couldnt it be considered Racist that he stomped on a White players signiture. Jump on a black players and I think u'd be in a world of shit for Racism.

I don't think his foot stomping was racially motivated.

LOL! Sorry, Moses. However, it does confirm my suspicion that Chuck is really a mythical creature.

Chuck Hamelessone seems kinda mythical for fiveaa had Ben Fitz in the studio with the theme of "Rocky" playing as the intro. They spoke to Sengstock who said it was Hamelessone's decision, so we've punished Hodge with a feather duster 'cause we love all this publicity he's giving us.

WHAT DID ALL YOU PEOPLE WANT WITH THE MOST RESPECT TO 99.9% OF US RESIDENTS IN THIS COUNTRY WE HAD A YANK JUDGING A YANK ON BEHAVIOR THATS IS COMMAN IN THE STATES ACT LIKE AN ARSEHOLE AND YOU BECAME A HERO TO LOSER SORRY CHUCK YOU ARE A BIGGER LOSER AND MAY I ADD PLEASE GROW WHAT WE IN OZ CALL BALLS

l dont know who the fxxk you are cecil but please dont judge our american residents.by the actions off one or two losers.first lknow a few and can tell you not all are like that but as is life every now and then GOD does let a few slip past to name his his biggest loser just look at a mr j hodge what a fuck up that was but even god is shaking his head and saying what have l done sorry world .but his time will come

They may not pursue the matter this time, but what happens about next time? There's no doubt that inciting that kind of scene is bringing the game into disrepute but they couldn't figure out what rule to hold him to. Hodge has come out in the media and said that the next time he's back here, he'll do the same thing. The NBL should have at least cautioned him in an effort to contain his behaviour in the future. Imagine the reactions in the next Adelaide game at BMC if he behaves in a similar way. The NBL have set no precedence for immature, unsportsmanlike, stupid behaviour and there is really no reason for him not to do it again

Yes quasi - that was the thoughts of fiveaa commentators and Ben who is not going on the court for a few weeks- self imposed restraint.

The Adelaide crowd behaved pretty appallingly also from the moment Hodge walked out onto the court to well after the game ended. He was subjected to constant boos, jeers and laughter with every shot he missed and every move he made badly. He is a jerk after what he did to Adelaide last year and warranted some verbal abuse, but the non stop abuse was way over the top. Maher's signature on the court represents not only what he did for his club with his many years of faithful service, his professional sportsmanship and impeccable ambassador to the sport in Australia, but it also represents the club and its fans which makes up the total package called the Adelaide 36ers. Hodge's stomping on the signature was retaliation to the Adelaide 36ers and not just Brett Maher. He was given plenty of provocation and he retaliated. If the NBL is to impose any sanction on him for his behaviour, then they need to do it for everyone in the stadium that constantly hurled abuse at him. Last Saturday night, we all behaved badly.

EC - All that I can say is 50% of the callers to talkback radio agreed with.
When they posed that question to Ben - he said that Hodge had asked for the boos - via the media prior to them game.
It kinda seemed strange, on radio, that the NBL told Ben that a report from the sixers wouldn't make any difference to their decision, but was stated as part of the reason for no penalty, that there was no report from the sixers.
It also seemed strange to the radio commentators that NBL weren't at the game,didn't speak to Ben about it,and probably didn't speak to Hodge or anyone.
Sounded , to them that the NBL really wanted to let him off.

For the record it was MY EMPTY CUP that ended up on court and it wasn't thrown at hodge by me, some kid thought it would be funny to slap it out of my hand towards the court. He Packed his dacks and ran off when he saw how close it came to hitting hodge.

Hodge did want to punch my lights out but i think his skinny arms would snap in two if he hit anything. He was just trying to be the man and show how tough he thinks he is

and also for the record i was yelling abuse at him but nothig Racial at all. My hero is Mark Davis AKA Chairman of the Boards. I dont believe many basketball fans are racist, are u kidding me! We grew up watching Jordan, Barkley, Magic, DR J, Kareem etc we idolise those guys. Thats why we love the sport
All i did was tell him to grow some f#@King Calves u W#@nker. Maybe he is insecure about his twigs

check out the podcast on 5AA should be up tomorrow Ben Fitzy explains all

Good if there is a podcast - for those that may be interested.

Fiveaa - 'That behaviour could have sparked something pretty bad. Hodge's eyes were rolling,and the crowd was inflamed, it could've got pretty nasty'

Sengstock - "Aw - but it didn't "

sengstock really didn't seem interested at all.

If it was Andrew Gaze being so harshly disrespected i GUARANTEE there would be a suspension or BIG fine!

but hey Its got BALL back in the news and i think it will actually improve crowds and interest in the sport.

I'm not a fan of hodge but it has given the NBL alot of media exposure. Thats about the only thing he will be remembered for. oh and his lack of calves

I don't understand why they didn't enforce the following:

A) Have Hodge make a formal apology to Brett Maher regarding the stomping incident.

NOTE: Apologising to the crowd is pointless considering the problem was 50/50.

B) Fine Hodge $1000 for inciting near-violent behaviour for his post game antics.

NOTE: Ignoring the fine if the formal apology is made.

While the apologies from Wortho and Anstey show their class; the fact still remains that they shouldn't be the ones apologising. Especially considering WHO was at fault for the "stomping" incident.

Nullify the abuse and the throwing of objects at Hodge with antagonising (one deserved the other to a degree) and you're left with nothing but an Apology required from Hodge to level everything out.

At this point, that will never happen. If the man knows what is good for his longetivity in this league; he'd better make sure that this sort of Incident doesn't happen again anywhere to any other team.

Boti: Gaze and Australia's leading NBL players slam Hodge's actions

Wonder how the Crocs-Nation will receive him, especially after Hinder's comments.

Homicide - more than a cool nickname.

DB5 said yesterday:

> Harmison proves once again that Head Office
> has no kahunas

They do call it the NBL - the No Balls League :)

EC, you say the heckling and jeering of Hodge was appalling; but I thought it was generally quite mild compared to the jeering that Mark Bradtke used to cop every time he played here (until the night he broke Mark Davis's career rebounds record, when we gave him pretty much a standing ovation).

I certainly didn't hear any untoward commments shouted in Hodge's direction during the game.

Then again, maybe I'm just sitting with some pretty genteel folks...

Beagle, I was referring to the continuous boos from the moment he walked on the court and throughout the game. Every single moment he got the ball in his hands he was boo'd. I know we have done it for other villains of the game in the past but obviously Hodge's skin was not as thick. He cracked under the same pressure that others did not. For someone who said prior that he feeds on that attention, he let it get to him badly. This showed a lack of maturity on his part but provocation on the part of the fans.

If thats the case and Hodge isnt given any missed time for matches or fined payments, then any supporter deemed heckling him who could face a life ban etc, should be allowed back. Two wrongs dont make a right however if your a Homer Simpson fan, it does and thats good enough for me.
On the flip side, I do hope he has the guts to return next year cos I will wait for his flight to arrive in our city. He is a tosser and always will be.

You're not seriously debating wether fans should boo players. Maybe next year's season tickets should come with a box of monogrammed kleenex tissues and Sixer red pacifiers. C'mon.

"English Premier League player sues after crowd boos. $5M in psychological trauma awarded".