Cole Buckley Pleads Not Guilty After Allegedly Throwing Water Bottle at Kyrie Irving
Boston Celtics fan Cole Buckley pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on Wednesday.
Buckley was arrested on suspicion of throwing a water bottle at Kyrie Irving after the Brooklyn Nets' 141-126 Game 4 victory at TD Garden on Sunday.
This was one of multiple similar incidents to play out inside arenas in the NBA playoffs.
A Philadelphia 76ers fan dumped popcorn on Washington Wizards star Russell Westbrook. Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young was spat on by a New York Knicks fan. Some Utah Jazz fans targeted the family of Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant with racist and vulgar remarks.
Addressing the case against Buckley, Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins called it a case of "workplace violence" since it occurred in a work environment for Irving. Rollins also referenced what has transpired outside of Boston.
"The last thing I want to say is, there is a growing, disturbing trend in the NBA in particular,” she told reporters. “It is not lost on me that the NBA is overwhelmingly Black men where we have fans who are overwhelmingly white men who believe that they can engage in this type of behavior. It is not appropriate, and it certainly is not going to happen here in Suffolk County."
TD Garden spokesperson Tricia McCorkle said arena officials continue to review the situation and that Buckley is potentially facing a lifetime ban from the venue. In court Wednesday, Buckley was ordered to stay away from the arena. He's due back in court for a pre-trial hearing in August.
Nets star James Harden was among those questioning whether an arena ban was enough to dissuade fans from acting out to an extreme degree. CNN's Brandon Griggs wrote in May 2017 how arena/stadium bans can also be tricky to fully enforce.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the NBA has laid out new guidelines, one of which suggested teams and arenas "develop processes for pursuing law violations."
