By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Former NBA superstar DeMarcus Cousins will no longer continue his playing career in Puerto Rico after his club terminated his ongoing contract following a brawl involving the fans of the Bayamon Cowboys in a road game.
Cousins, who is playing for the Mets de Guaynabo, suffered a loss at the hands of the Bayamon Cowboys, 101-91. What frustrated his club was how he got into a brawl with several fans, which led to his mother franchise terminating his ongoing contract in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional League.
The center first got into an altercation in the courtside where he grabbed his crotch area and put his hands on the fan that was chirping on him. Two more fans entered the scene, but his teammates quickly dispersed the situation.
His actions resulted in an ejection, but worse was about to come as Cousins got entangled against the fans in the upper box when he was about to exit the venue on his way to the locker room.
Cousins threw middle fingers at several fans, and in a matter of seconds, splashes of water and beer were thrown at him which made him furious.
The security and some personnel from Guaynabo held Cousins to the floor, and forcefully escorted him to the locker room area.
“As an organization, we strongly condemn any form of violence or provocation, whether on or off the field. Safety, respect, and sportsmanship are non-negotiable values for this franchise,” Guaynabo wrote in a statement.
According to the Baloncesto Superior Nacional League, Cousins was slapped with $4,250 (238,637.50 pesos). The league is also finalizing an additional fine of $5,750 (322,908.54 pesos).
Before getting evicted, Cousins was averaging 18.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. This is his return ticket for Guaynabo, the same club he played for when he began his basketball career in Puerto Rico two years ago.
Cousins was a former fifth overall pick during the 2009 NBA Draft. He was a member of the NBA All-Rookie Team and was selected four times to be an NBA All-Star.
