Roy Tarpley suing NBA/Mavs?

Roy Tarpley is grasping at straws. His problems were self-inflicted even is drug/alcohol are termed disabilities. The article states he wants to clear his name. One can go to court and clear their name in a criminal or civil case but the NBA is not part of the US judicial system. It is a private enterprise. I have very little to none sympathy for Tarpley.

However, in an interesting bit of history. The Phoenix Suns had 12 people in their organization indicted for drug trafficking in 1987. The 12 were players, the team photographer, the guy in charge of season ticket sales and more. If any of those people would have been found guilty or pled guilty they would have been banned from the NBA (under the NBA rules at that time). Two of the players, James Edwards and Jay Humphries, worked out a deal with the District Attorney. The deal was that they would enter a drug rehab program and the DA would wipe their records clean. They would not have to testify against the other defendants in the drug conspiracy.

So, the NBA comes out smelling sweet (no drug trafficking charges against the two players) and the Suns come out smelling sweet (the players aren't banned). The Suns traded Jay Humphries after his rehab and he had a respectable career with the Bucks, the Jazz and the Celtics.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hump...

How does this tie in with Tarpley? Well, in August 2007 Jay Humphries was hired to be an assistant coach in Phoenix. So Humphries gets a sweetheart deal way back when from a sympathetic Suns fan/DA and is now back in the NBA. Tarpley, who didn't get a sweetheart deal from anyone is permanently banned.

Does that seem fair?

Roy Tarpley is a colossal waste of talent who drank and drugged himself OUT of the NBA. He's got nothing coming. Good riddance to Roy.

One hour later: The more I think about this the more it pisses me off. This is a disgrace. Using his self inflicted addictions as a disability. I wonder if he isn't broke. It's obvious he doesn't have a brain in his head, so he probably spent all his millions. It's probably all up his nose.

Roy Tarpley WHO??? ok i've read the history of the mavericks, and yes he is a former mavs. but its his idiocy that put him in this situation, he was already given a chance, and what he do? violates the terms of a court-imposed personal aftercare program? what an i@#$?

NBA is not wrong, he already have a shot to redeem himself, and he still continue to do his things...

I think it's yet another, in a growing list of distraction the Mavs don't need...I think Roy's just had a bit of an ego-burst...who knows. Next, Shawn Bradley will be suing to get in the WNBA..

If they treated him like that then he deserves his money under the American disabilities act