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RETRIEVE Raiders national power forward Dwayne ‘Brown Sugar’ Roberts said that he’s ready to fight the six-year ban imposed on him by Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) and the fine of $15 000 as well as being barred from attending any Association-sanctioned basketball event. The LABA had previously suspended Roberts for six months following an incident involving a referee but they issued a release on Thursday stating their decision to impose a longer ban takes into consideration that the player has been a repeat offender in openly berating their officials in public.
But speaking with Chronicle Sport yesterday, Roberts said that he only learnt of his six-year penalty via the media.
“I didn’t receive any letter to that effect so I was surprised to see all the newspapers saying that I’m banned for six years by the LABA. No one contacted me and I’ve received nothing to that effect. I think this is personal attack,” Roberts disclosed.
The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) officer said “This is defamation of character and the LABA and Joe Chapman (secretary) have to know what they’re doing because this can have legal implications for putting stuff like this to the public.
My HRO (Human Resource Officer) spoke to me the first time they published an article about me being suspended and then this morning (yesterday) she called me early asking what’s really going on.”
Roberts said that while the publication has no direct implication on his job at the GGMC, he feels the LABA is painting a crude picture of him as an individual.
“They said they’re banning me ’cause I didn’t attend some hearing, mind you, this wasn’t sent to me, but to the media stating that it was sent to me and it never did, but I’m saying that why should I attend a hearing to hear something that you told me in a previous meeting?, That doesn’t make sense, and this will be appealed. The LABA needs to be truthful and this is a personal matter,” said Roberts.
The player said that “players get into fights, cuff out and they just get a couple games suspension and are back on the court. But they say how I injured a referee and it’s nothing of the sort because first of all I did throw no ball at the referee. Even after, he still continued to referee the game, so how come if I injured him, how come he still finished the game?”
Meanwhile Club president Pastor Richard McDonald said that the Retrieve Raiders will be meeting shortly to charter a course of appeal of the six-year ban, stating that he’s been monitoring the entire ordeal and they had already accepted a six-month suspension from the LABA on their player.
“They had sent a letter to us, stating that he will be suspended for six months following the incident and the letter detailed the reasons why. We accepted it and moved on, so now they asking him to attend a hearing to deal with the same matter which makes no sense since he already got a letter detailing the penalty,” McDonald said.
McDonald also said that he contacted LABA secretary Joe Chapman via telephone asking where the situation stemmed from, but things got heated. “Everything about how the LABA treated this matter is upsetting and it’s just not right, it’s disturbing and I spoke to Mr Chapman today (yesterday), and I think he got it that I was upset and I don’t think they are being fair. What they did is defamation of character and we as a club will deal with it.”
Chapman who is also the vice-president of the Raiders Basketball Club, when contacted yesterday said that the Association did what they thought was in the best interest of its officials.
Asked if it was constitutional for LABA to ban a player from not attending basketball games as well, he said “the LABA did what they felt was in the best interest of us, players and officials. Mr. Roberts tends to be abusive to the officials, so the LABA did what it had to in its purgative.”
Roberts was a member of Guyana’s lone team that contested the Junior CARICOM Championships and has since been a prominent member of the Senior National team with his most recent deployment being on the team that played at the 2011 CBC Championship.
But speaking with Chronicle Sport yesterday, Roberts said that he only learnt of his six-year penalty via the media.
“I didn’t receive any letter to that effect so I was surprised to see all the newspapers saying that I’m banned for six years by the LABA. No one contacted me and I’ve received nothing to that effect. I think this is personal attack,” Roberts disclosed.
The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) officer said “This is defamation of character and the LABA and Joe Chapman (secretary) have to know what they’re doing because this can have legal implications for putting stuff like this to the public.
My HRO (Human Resource Officer) spoke to me the first time they published an article about me being suspended and then this morning (yesterday) she called me early asking what’s really going on.”
Roberts said that while the publication has no direct implication on his job at the GGMC, he feels the LABA is painting a crude picture of him as an individual.
“They said they’re banning me ’cause I didn’t attend some hearing, mind you, this wasn’t sent to me, but to the media stating that it was sent to me and it never did, but I’m saying that why should I attend a hearing to hear something that you told me in a previous meeting?, That doesn’t make sense, and this will be appealed. The LABA needs to be truthful and this is a personal matter,” said Roberts.
The player said that “players get into fights, cuff out and they just get a couple games suspension and are back on the court. But they say how I injured a referee and it’s nothing of the sort because first of all I did throw no ball at the referee. Even after, he still continued to referee the game, so how come if I injured him, how come he still finished the game?”
Meanwhile Club president Pastor Richard McDonald said that the Retrieve Raiders will be meeting shortly to charter a course of appeal of the six-year ban, stating that he’s been monitoring the entire ordeal and they had already accepted a six-month suspension from the LABA on their player.
“They had sent a letter to us, stating that he will be suspended for six months following the incident and the letter detailed the reasons why. We accepted it and moved on, so now they asking him to attend a hearing to deal with the same matter which makes no sense since he already got a letter detailing the penalty,” McDonald said.
McDonald also said that he contacted LABA secretary Joe Chapman via telephone asking where the situation stemmed from, but things got heated. “Everything about how the LABA treated this matter is upsetting and it’s just not right, it’s disturbing and I spoke to Mr Chapman today (yesterday), and I think he got it that I was upset and I don’t think they are being fair. What they did is defamation of character and we as a club will deal with it.”
Chapman who is also the vice-president of the Raiders Basketball Club, when contacted yesterday said that the Association did what they thought was in the best interest of its officials.
Asked if it was constitutional for LABA to ban a player from not attending basketball games as well, he said “the LABA did what they felt was in the best interest of us, players and officials. Mr. Roberts tends to be abusive to the officials, so the LABA did what it had to in its purgative.”
Roberts was a member of Guyana’s lone team that contested the Junior CARICOM Championships and has since been a prominent member of the Senior National team with his most recent deployment being on the team that played at the 2011 CBC Championship.
