Adelaide guard Dejan Vasiljevic has questioned Brisbane’s response following the explosive on-court NBL brawl, calling out what he believes was an absence of accountability after 36ers participant Nick Rakocevic was positioned in a headlock.
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Dejan Vasiljevic has spoken on SEN SA 1629 radio, sharing his perspective on Wednesday evening’s explosive incident and calling on the NBL to “come down arduous” on Bullets import Terry Taylor for putting his Adelaide teammate Rakocevic in a headlock.
Rakocevic was on the centre of the brawl with Brisbane guard Hunter Maldonado, however it was Taylor’s involvement that sparked essentially the most controversy.
“Maldonado first pushes Nick out of bounds and there’s no foul known as,” Vasiljevic mentioned on SEN SA 1629.
“Then Nick goes to publish up and Maldonado grabs his leg. Nick seems to be over on the referee like, ‘What’s occurring?’ He goes again for an offensive rebound and Maldonado turns him round. With the momentum, they’re clearly going to fall into one another.”
Vasiljevic mentioned gamers from each groups initially tried to separate the pair earlier than the scenario escalated with Taylor’s arrival – an incident he says Rakocevic remains to be feeling bodily.
“That’s when every part breaks unfastened. To then have Terry Taylor put Nick in a headlock – I spoke to Nick final evening and he’s nonetheless struggling as a result of his neck is a bit sore – that’s not basketball-related in any respect,” he mentioned.
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Throughout the post-match press convention, Vasiljevic acknowledged feedback he made directed at Brisbane, wherein he claimed the Bullets have been “throwing low cost pictures”, and confirmed he has since mentioned sorry.
“I’ll apologise on my finish for something they suppose I mentioned within the press convention that offended them, however the place’s the apology from them?” he mentioned.
“From Terry Taylor for placing Nick in a headlock, and from Maldonado for beginning the scuffle?
“We’re all professionals and this shouldn’t occur, however once more, the place’s their apology?”
Vasiljevic mentioned Taylor held Rakocevic within the headlock for an prolonged interval, prompting real concern amongst teammates on the court docket.
“He had him in a headlock for a very good 20 to 30 seconds. He grabbed him by the top and didn’t let go,” he mentioned.
“After we noticed that, we have been simply making an attempt to get Nick out. Mitch Norton was making an attempt to do the identical, however when there are such a lot of folks in there, you’re simply making an attempt to achieve your teammate and you’ll’t.
“At one level I assumed Nick was going to move out. I used to be simply ensuring my teammate was okay.”
The league has since responded, with the Recreation Assessment Panel investigating the altercation and issuing ‘please clarify’ notices to 10 gamers concerned. Nevertheless, Vasiljevic believes the NBL should take a stronger stance on Taylor’s actions.
“I don’t suppose that’s needed in any respect, and if the NBL doesn’t come down arduous on that, I’ll be actually disillusioned,” he mentioned.
“Push and shove, a little bit of a scuffle – that occurs. However placing somebody in a headlock in a basketball recreation? Come on, JJ [Josh Jenkins], this isn’t the UFC.”
The league mentioned the groups had till 11.35pm AEDT on Thursday evening to ship by way of their gamers and coaches submission earlier than they start their investigation, which can finally result in a tribunal listening to someday subsequent week.