Raiders punished, but not too severely

In basketball news, official word from the Belize Basketball Association indicates that contrary to earlier reports, the Raiders will be able to field a full squad against the San Cas U.B. team this Wednesday. Following Friday’s fistfight between Raider Thomas Gillespie and B.T.L.’s Claude “Too Tall” Jones, the league has suspended both players for two games and fined each of them two hundred and fifty dollars. In addition, the Raiders management, players and other associates who left the bench to see about the scuffle on the court have been fined one hundred dollars each. That list of names includes some fifteen people including managers, the team statistician, players, the flagman and even the water boy. In all, the Raiders have to fork over some two thousand dollars before Wednesday’s match-up. While some might think the fines are steep, they are in fact a slap on the wrist compared to the original list of sanctions issued by the B.B.A. on Sunday night. Over the weekend, News 5 was shown a letter from the B.B.A. that stipulated that all the people fined were to be additionally punished by being banned from attending Wednesday’s game. While Commissioner of the B.B.A. Troy Gabb denies the letter ever existed, insiders suggest those initial sanctions had to be withdrawn because the by-laws under which the semi-pro league operates does not cover such punishment for the offence of leaving the bench during a game.