Stacey Augmon

[DBAHO]

Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out now Stacey; :fyou

 

FLORIDA TODAY learned Monday that the league is investigating and taking seriously an alleged lewd comment the Orlando player made to a female TV news reporter after last Friday night's Magic loss to Minnesota at the TD Waterhouse Centre.

 

Actually, there are two incidents the NBA is investigating. The other involves Augmon shouting threatening obscenities at our own FLORIDA TODAY reporter John Denton, as well as throwing a bottle of body lotion at him, after Sunday night's loss to New Jersey. But as bad as that incident was -- and it was ugly -- it pales in comparison to what might've happened Friday night.

 

After the game against the Timberwolves, several reporters were interviewing Magic guard Jameer Nelson, who was sitting at his locker, which is adjacent to Augmon's locker. Lauren Johnson, a Central Florida News 13 reporter, lowered to a knee in front of Nelson, so as to place a microphone in front of him while also allowing cameramen a clear line of vision.

 

That's when Local 6 News sports photographer Tee Taylor said Augmon directed a lewd comment about Johnson being on her knees in front of a player.

 

Taylor talked with Johnson outside the Magic locker room after the alleged incident. "She was distraught," he said. "She's also afraid. She's young, and she doesn't want to make an issue of it."

 

If that's true, that would be sad, because many professional female journalists prior to Lauren Johnson paved the way and bravely spoke up to sexual harassment from Neanderthal-like players, all of which paved the way for her to even have a career.

 

But Johnson wouldn't return phone messages Monday. Instead, CFN 13 vice president and general manager Robin Smythe called, but only so she could refuse comment. Smythe wouldn't even say whether she is actually aware of the alleged incident.

 

But that's OK, because the NBA is aware. And moving forward.

 

"Our security department is investigating exactly what happened," said Brian McIntyre, the NBA's senior vice president of basketball communications. "We take lewd remarks directed at the media very seriously. Our goal is to make the workplace as professional as possible."

 

Nothing short of that is acceptable.

 

These are trying times for the NBA, what with the reprehensible fan-player brawl in Detroit earlier this season. But I believe the league is trying. And I also believe that if the allegations concerning Augmon are true, then he'll receive a stiff punishment, as he should.

 

Right now, it's wait and see.

 

What we do know is that Augmon has been a cancer waiting to spread. It's hard to believe the Magic actually pursued him as an offseason free agent, and said he would bring leadership to the locker room. Augmon has been anything but. And if they don't get him away from developing rookies Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard, then the organization deserves an even bigger black eye than it already has.

 

It's long been known that Augmon violates NBA rules by refusing to talk to the media. But the league has looked the other way because, frankly, none of us really care what a loser like Stacey Augmon has to say. The problem though, is that Augmon likes to interject snide and obscene comments into other interviews.

 

That's what happened after Sunday night's Magic loss to New Jersey.

 

Our reporter, John Denton, who is as professional as they come, was interviewing Steve Francis along with other reporters. Given that the Magic have lost four straight and seven of their last 10, and now have a five-game road trip ahead of them, the Orlando Sentinel's Tim Povtak asked Francis if he was concerned about "the wheels coming off."

 

That's when Augmon, sitting next to Francis, blurted, "That's a stupid (bleeping) question."

 

The reporters chose to ignore him, but Augmon wouldn't have it.

 

Even louder, he said, "That's a stupid (bleeping) question."

 

At that point, Denton stated the obvious. He told Augmon they weren't interviewing him. They were interviewing Francis.

 

Augmon rose to his feet enraged, approaching Denton and shouting obscenities. Denton turned and starting walking across the locker room, away from the scene Augmon was creating, while Magic publicist Joel Glass jumped in front of Augmon. At that point, the player threw a bottle of body lotion at Denton. The contents spattered the back of his jacket and sprayed other reporters, too.

 

Other incidents involving Augmon are now coming to light, too. Taylor, the Local 6 News sports photographer, said that last month he was joking with Magic players Dwight Howard and DeShawn Stevenson, engaging in a little verbal sparring. When Taylor said he laughingly told Howard not to hit him, otherwise he'd be supporting the journalist financially, he said Augmon became enraged from across the locker room.

 

"I didn't hear exactly what he said, but there was a commotion going on," Taylor said. "I found out later he was cursing me out."

 

Which is pretty bad.

[YASNY]

MLB has liars and cheaters.

 

The NBA has thugs.

 

Are these guys trying to kill the goose that layed the golden egg?

[southsider2k5]

Does anybody else see this line as wrong in a sexual harassment allegation

 

he'll receive a stiff punishment

 

Just sayin

[Goldmember]

Does anybody else see this line as wrong in a sexual harassment allegation

Just sayin

 

[WilliamTell]

haha but I haven't heard the name Stacey Augmon for a long time.

[rangercal]

haha but I haven't heard the name Stacey Augmon for a long time.

he was in the original nba jam game I think lol

[WilliamTell]

he was in the original nba jam game I think lol

 

 

lol I believe you're right. He had some massive jumping skills on NBA Jam, but everyone did, including John Stockton. I knew he played for the Hawks, and the Hornets but that's all I remember. I also wanna say the Blazers but I'm not sure.

[bjam44]

his nickname dating back to college was the "plastice man" He was a hell of a college player and still is a good defensive player