Gilbert Arenas Released From Halfway House Following Felony Gun Conviction

Gilbert Arenas has officially finished his 30-day sentence in a halfway house in Montgomery County, Maryland, according to Joseph White of the AP. Arenas pretty much kept a low profile, declining interview requests and doing his time. 

But there was one unfortunate side effect to Arenas' halfway house stay: he forgot the combination to his gated driveway. As White writes:

He tried several times to punch the combination on the keypad to enter his gated driveway. After several failed attempts, he muttered "Alrighty," got out of his car and yelled toward the house for help. A woman inside the house yelled out the code. Arenas punched it in and drove into his driveway.    

Talk about irony - instead of being locked in jail, which he avoided, Arenas was ultimately locked out of his house, for a short time at least.

Arenas is now on probation, where he will have to report to the Fairfax County Office of Probation and Parole. He has begun serving the mandated 400 hours of community service at the halfway house and will continue to do so now that he has been released. 

On March 26, Gilbert Arenas was sentenced to thirty days in halfway-house confinement after being convicted of a felony gun charge. He began serving his sentence Friday.

According to Arthur Wallenstein, director of Montgomery County Corrections, Arenas arrived at the Montgomery County jail at 7:40 p.m. Arenas must spend two days there for medical screening and classification before being transferred to the county's Pre-Release Center, a halfway house.

It's hard to score the news that Gilbert Arenas will avoid jail time for bringing guns into the Wizards' locker room as anything other than a major victory for Arenas' legal team. However, it is worth noting that, if Arenas violates the terms of his probation, he would go to jail.

As Paul Duggan of the Washington Post reports:

[The judge] sentenced Arenas to 18 months in jail, but suspended that part of the sentence. He ordered the star to serve two years probation to begin with 30 days in a halfway house, He also ordered Arenas to serve 400 hours of community service and pay a $5,000 contribution to a crime victim's fund.    

In other words, if Arenas does not fulfill his terms of the sentence, he will go to jail. Duggan reports that correction officials will decide which halfway house Arenas will attend in the next few days. Arenas will be able to leave the house only with permission and only to fulfill his community service. 

The Wizards also released a statement on the matter:

"We believe today's sentencing of Gilbert Arenas can help bring closure to the unfortunate situation that has played out over the last three months.   Gilbert has admitted his mistakes and will now pay his debt to our community.  We are confident that he has learned something significant from the experience and we now look forward to moving on and focusing on building this team into the contender that our outstanding fans deserve."

SB Nation's Bullets Forever tweets the following:

I need time to comprehend all of this. For now, I'm just happy for Gil that he avoided jail. Hopefully he can put his life back together.    

Arenas was apparently crying in front of the judge, according to WTOP, saying that he wakes up every day and wishes the incident didn't happen.

The elephant in the room is whether the Wizards decide to void Arenas' contract. Marc Stein reports that, while new owner Ted Leonsis hasn't yet weighed in, it's looking like it's increasingly unlikely the Wizards pursue that route.  

The prospect of the Wizards trying to wipe out the remaining four years and $80.2 million on Arenas' deal can't be completely ruled out because the team has a new owner: Ted Leonsis. And Leonsis, according to sources close to the situation, hasn't weighed in yet with the Wizards' current management about his Arenas plans or views.

Multiple league sources, however, still maintain that it is highly unlikely that terminating Arenas' contract is something Washington will pursue. That likely would have been the case even if Arenas had received 30 days of jail time, if only because most league and league experts felt that a jail sentence spilling into next season was the only basis for a successful void attempt.

One source with knowledge of the Wizards' thinking told ESPN.com that the Pollin family -- which has maintained operational control of the team this season after the death of longtime Wizards owner Abe Pollin in November -- had abandoned the idea of trying to terminate the contract after assessing its options. It is assumed that Leonsis will also concede that a void attempt has little to no shot of succeeding, especially after Arenas receive zero jail time at Friday's sentencing hearing, but that technically must still be classified as an assumption until Leonsis -- who only agreed to terms on Thursday with the Pollins on purchasing the franchise -- settles in.

Yet you can safely call it a very strong assumption. Reason being: Since Arenas has already been suspended for the rest of this season by NBA commissioner David Stern and because Arenas' main legal obligation (those 30 days in the halfway house) will undoubtedly be completed well before he has to report to training camp on Sept. 27, Washington won't be able to claim that Arenas' sentence prevents him from rendering services and thus breaching his contract, which is widely regarded around the league as the only basis that the Wizards would have for trying to void it.

Stein also writes that these last 48 hours have actually been good ones for the Wizards, because of the ownership situation and the clarity on Arenas' sentence. 

A DC judge elected not to send Gilbert Arenas to jail for bringing guns into the Wizards' locker room in late December, rejecting the prosecution's recommended three-month sentence in the process.

Arenas will instead get two years' probation and be assigned to spend 30 days in a halfway house. He will also be asked to serve 400 hours of community service and donate $5,000 to the Victim of Violent Crimes Fund, according to Mike Jones and Craig Stouffer.

Arenas reportedly expressed his remorse to Superior Court Judge Robert Morin during the sentencing.

"I'd like to say, I'm really sorry this happened, and I wake up every day wishing it didn't," Arenas said to Morin. By way of explaining his infamous guns-a-blazin' gesture in Philadelphia, Arenas said, "I like to make people to laugh. I like to make people smile."

It remains unclear whether the sentencing decision affects whether the Wizards will look to void the remaining four years and over $80 million left on Arenas' contract. Noted collective bargaining agreement expert Larry Coon said earlier this week that he does not believe today's decision mattered either way, since Arenas had already pled guilty to a felony. However, Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski believes otherwise.

Only real chance Wizards had to void Arenas' contract would've been significant prison time. Thirty days in a halfway house won't do it.    

The incident stemmed from a gambling dispute between Arenas and Wizards guard Javaris Crittenton. When Crittenton came to practice the day after the incident, Arenas had four unloaded guns laid out on the table, and asked Crittenton to pick one. Crittenton responded by pulling out his own gun.

Arenas' defense attorney told Jones that Arenas and Crittenton have been in contact since the incident occurred.

Arenas' attorney said Gil and Crit have been in contact often since both pled and Gil gave crit $30K for Crit's mom's neck surgery.    

For much more fan reaction and discussion, check out SB Nation's Wizards blog Bullets Forever. 

Gilbert Arenas’s court case may have taken a turn for the worse. Today, prosecutors filed a memorandum asking that Arenas serve no less than three months in prison for possessing illegal firearms. Their new evidence against the defendant? Text messages that Arenas allegedly sent to a teammate, containing instructions as to how to deal with the incident.

Per the Washington City Paper:

The name "Javaris" refers to former Wizards teammate Javaris Crittenton, who was sentenced to a misdemeanor gun possession charge in the incident. The WCP has a statement from the prosecution, as well as the full story.

Prosecutors write: "Throughout this incident, [Arenas] has provided conflicting, self-serving accounts regarding: why he brought the firearms to the Verizon Center; when he brought the firearms to the Verizon Center; whether Crittenton had a firearm; whether there was a confrontation with Crittenton; or whether Crittenton was even present….The defendant attempts to paint a picture that, from the very beginning, he has fully accepted responsibility, confessed the truth when first confronted, and has been a symbol of cooperation throughout his prosecution. In reality, it is quite the opposite."

Mike Prada of SB Nation’s Bullets Forever has an updated post containing a tweet from Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski with more details about Arenas.

GIlbert Arenas sent mass text to friends saying his phone will be shut off in 3 days and if he wanted to talk, he’ll call you, sources say.

Arenas originally pled guilty to felony gun possession charges and is set to be sentenced on March 26th.

The Wizards just released a statement on the NBA’s decision to suspend Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton for the rest of the NBA season.

The NBA announced today that they have suspended Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton for the remainder of the season. We understand and fully support their decision.

Both players violated D.C. laws and NBA rules by bringing guns into the locker room. Their poor judgment has also violated the trust of our fans and stands in contrast to everything Abe Pollin stood for throughout his life. It is widely known that Mr. Pollin took the extraordinary step of changing the team name from “Bullets” to “Wizards” in 1997 precisely to express his abhorrence of gun violence in our community. We hope that this negative situation can produce something positive by serving as a reminder that gun violence is a serious issue.

We look forward to putting this unfortunate incident behind us and once again focusing our full attention on playing exciting basketball in front of our great fans at Verizon Center.

The New York Times' Howard Beck was the first of many to report that David Stern has officially suspended both Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton for the rest of the NBA season.

Stern's statement, per Beck on Twitter:

The issue here is not about the legal ownership and possession of guns, either in one’s home or elsewhere. It is about possession of guns in the NBA workplace, which will not be tolerated. Both have expressed remorse for their actions and an understanding of the seriousness of their transgressions. Both have volunteered to engage in community service to turn the lessons they have learned into an educational message for others. I accept fully the sincerity of their expressions of regret and intent to create something positive from this incident.

Stern will hold a conference call with the media at 5:30 Wednesday.

The next logical step in the Gilbert Arenas saga, besides his March 26 sentencing, is determining whether the Wizards will seek to void the remaining four years and nearly $90 million on his contract.

According to the Washington Post’s Michael Lee, however, David Stern told Arenas the Wizards have yet to make contact with the NBA’s legal department about the possibility of voiding Arenas’ deal.

The same source said that during the meeting, Arenas asked Stern about the possibility of having the remaining four years of his six-year $111 million contract voided, to which Stern replied, “That would be left up to the team.” He also informed Arenas that members of the Wizards organization had yet made an inquiry about voiding his contract to the NBA’s legal department.

That doesn’t mean the Wizards won’t void his contract, but they have not made significant strides on making it happen yet.

Also, according to Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Stern was weighing between two suspensions: an 82-game penalty or a penalty merely for the remainder of the season. Stern allowed Arenas to take the remainder of the season suspension in return for not appealing it. Arenas accepted.

Wojarowski also reports that Javaris Crittenton, the other Wizard involved in the altercation, will receive “a similar penalty to Arenas.”

A source has just told the Washington Post’s Michael Lee that Gilbert Arenas will be suspended for the rest of the season.

Lee reports that it was actually Arenas who asked to be suspended for the season, and Stern acquiesced to that request. The NBA Players Association does not plan on fighting the decision.

For more reaction, check out SB Nation's Wizards blog, Bullets Forever.

Marc Stein of ESPN is reporting that GIlbert Arenas is scheduled to meet with NBA commissioner David Stern Wednesday for the first time since Arenas’ locker-room confrontation with Javaris Crittenton occurred.

The meeting is expected to be the last hurdle cleared before Stern announces a specific penalty for Arenas and Crittenton. Arenas has been suspended indefinitely for the last 12 games.

Crittenton met with Stern on Tuesday. NBA Players Association head Billy Hunter and Arenas’ legal team are also expected to attend today’s meeting.

Gilbert Arenas’ legal situation will not be fully resolved until March 26, his sentence date. Javaris Crittenton’s, however, looks like it could be settled today.

The Washington Post is reporting that in return for Crittenton’s guilty plea to one misdemeanor gun possession charge, prosecutors have agreed to drop another misdemeanor charge and recommend probation rather than a jail sentence.

Each misdemeanor charge — the one Crittenton pled guilty to and the one prosecutors agreed to drop — carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison.

Javaris Crittenton’s lawyer Peter White released the following statement regarding the felony gun charge Crittenton received today.

There has been a great deal of misinformation published about this event and about Javaris Crittenton. Mr. Crittenton brought a lawfully owned, unloaded handgun into Washington, DC only because he legitimately feared for his life. The government’s proffer of facts to be filed today acknowledges that his handgun was not loaded and that he never threatened anyone with it. The gun was legally purchased, but bringing it into the District, even for self defense, violated the city’s strict gun control laws. Mr. Crittenton, who was 21 years old at the time of this incident, has never before been arrested or charged with any crime, and with today’s misdemeanor plea to possession of an unregistered firearm, accepts responsibility for his conduct. He looks forward to explaining his actions to the NBA and returning to the basketball court as soon as possible.

The Washington Post is reporting that Wizards guard Javaris Crittenton, the other member of the December 21 dispute involving Gilbert Arenas, has been formally charged with illegal gun possession.

Crittenton’s case had been held up because the authorities had trouble locating his gun, which he allegedly chambered after Arenas put four unloaded firearms on his locker table and told Crittenton to pick one. However, Crittenton’s lawyer, Peter White, told Michael Lee of the Washington Post that Crittenton’s gun was unloaded. White also said that Crittenton brought the gun to the Verizon Center “because he legitimately feared for his life.”

Like Arenas, Crittenton is working on a deal where he pleas to a misdemeanor in return for the felony charge being dropped.

Hours after Gilbert Arenas plead guilty to weapons charges, TMZ reports that Adidas has cut ties.

A rep for the company gave TMZ this statement: "In response to Gilbert Arenas' guilty plea to felony charges, adidas has terminated its agreement with the athlete effective immediately."

Adidas has contemplated this decision for at least a week. It appears as though they were waiting for Arenas' plea to make a move.

The Wizards just e-mailed a statement about Gilbert Arenas’ guilty plea today. Let’s just say they don’t sound like the type of organization that’s standing by him.

“Gilbert Arenas has been a cornerstone of the Washington Wizards for six years. We are deeply saddened and disappointed in his actions that have led to the events of this afternoon. Gilbert used extremely poor judgment and is ultimately responsible for his own actions."

The Associated Press has details about what actually went down between Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton:

Kavanaugh said the disagreement developed during a team flight back from Phoenix. The other player offered to settle matters with a fist fight, but Arenas, 28, said he was too old for that and suggested he would instead burn the other player’s car or shoot him in the face. The argument on the plane ended with the other player saying he would shoot Arenas in his surgically repaired knee.

Two days later, Kavanaugh said, Arenas brought at least one gun to the Verizon Center in a black backpack. He laid out four guns on a chair in front of the other player’s locker with a sign saying, “Pick one.”

When the other player asked, “What is this?,” Arenas responded: “You said you were going to shoot me. Pick one.”

The other player said he had his own gun, threw one of Arenas’s weapons across the room and then displayed his own firearm, Kavanaugh said.

The other player, presumably, is Javaris Crittenton. Assuming this is true, will we see anyone else argue for a gun fight over a fist fight because the person is “too old” for that?

More details are emerging from Gilbert Arenas’ guilty plea in court today for a felony gun possession charge.

According to Dan Steinberg, the prosecutors say that Arenas brought a .500 magnum silver smith and wesson to the Verizon Center in a backpack on December 21. The prosecutors also say that Arenas threatened to shoot Javaris Crittenton in the face the day before, though it’s unclear whether this was in jest or not.

Previous accounts state that Arenas laid out four unloaded guns in a suitcase in the locker room and told Crittenton to pick one. However, according to prosecutors, Arenas in fact had a teammate bring the suitcase down to the parking garage without the teammate knowing what was inside. Prosecutors also say Crittenton did in fact pull out a semi-automatic weapon in the locker room.

As to the date of the sentencing, it likely means Arenas will not be able to return this season. Mike Jones reports that Arenas’ attorney tried to get an earlier sentence date, but the judge declined.

Arenas himself barely spoke, only saying “yes sir” and “no sir,” according to Steinberg.

The Washington Post is reporting that Arenas was released only after surrendering his passport and agreeing to not posses any guns anywhere, even if they were licensed.

Arenas’ attorney, Ken Wainstein, released the following statement:

“Earlier this afternoon, Gilbert Arenas appeared before the Honorable Robert E. Morin of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and pled guilty to a charge of carrying a pistol in the District of Columbia without a license. He accepted full responsibility for his actions, acknowledged that those actions were wrong and against the law, and has apologized to all who have been affected by his conduct. Mr. Arenas appreciates the professionalism of the authorities handling this matter.”

The Washington Post is reporting that Gilbert Arenas has just plead guilty to a gun possession felony, dating back to a December 21 altercation with teammate Javaris Crittenton. Arenas was scheduled to appear in court for the plea at 2:30 Friday.

According to Dan Steinberg of the Post, due to a plea agreement, prosecutors recommended that Arenas serve a maximum of just six months in jail for the charge. According to Mike Debonis from the Washington City Paper, the court is scheduled to sentence Arenas on March 26.

Mike Jones is reporting that Arenas was not charged for any additional misdemeanors.

SB Nation and Bullets Forever will have more details as they emerge.

Gilbert Arenas, who on Thursday was charged with a firearm felony, is expected to plead guilty on Friday, which will soften the sentence he receives.

But in the eyes of the Washington Wizards, Arenas apparently feels as though the organization has already deemed him unfit to wear their uniform again and he’s upset with they way they handled the situation.

A person close to Arenas said Thursday that Arenas believes President Ernie Grunfeld and the Wizards management failed to support him following his locker room confrontation on Dec. 21 with teammate Javaris Crittenton. The two players were feuding over a gambling debt stemming from a card game on a team flight back to Washington from Phoenix two days earlier. Arenas, the person close to the player said, has told NBA investigators that his flippant behavior following the incident, including the pantomiming of pistols before a game that led to an indefinite suspension from NBA Commissioner David Stern, was because he felt the Wizards organization had turned its back on him. “If your own franchise, the people you considered family, weren’t there for you when you needed them most, would you want to play for them and be around them anymore?” said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Arenas “was wrong for bringing guns into the locker room, and it’s going to mean pleading guilty to a felony. It’s serious business. But the way this came out and how Ernie and the organization handled the facts makes you wonder if he will ever play for them again.”

Wizards blog Bullets Forever sees Gilbert’s point, even if he’s in the wrong for what he’s done.

I understand that this is a remarkably complex issue, and the Wizards were kind of in a no-win situation. I also realize there’s a legitimate argument to be made that Arenas deserves no sympathy at all. But Arenas’ thought kind of confirm what many of us have said this week, which is that the manner in which the Wizards went about this merited questioning. Nobody said they needed to continue to push Arenas as the face of the franchise, but the way they did literally everything they could to distance themselves made any sort of reconciliation impossible. Now, the Wizards are in a position where they better hope the contract can be voided, because Arenas isn’t coming back and nobody’s going to want to trade him.

Gilbert Arenas, who on Thursday was charged with a firearm felony, is expected to plead guilty on Friday. In exchange for his plea, Arenas will serve much less or even no jail time, according to sources in a report by the Washington Post. 

Arenas is scheduled to enter his plea on Friday afternoon before D.C. Superior Court Judge Robert E. Morin. Even if prosecutors agree not to seek prison for Arenas, it will be up to Morin whether to sentence Arenas to probation, community service, a fine or some combination. The judge, a former defense attorney, also could send Arenas to jail.

According to The Examiner, "Arenas has agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of carrying a pistol without a license and four misdemeanor counts of unauthorized use of a weapon.

The key bit of news in all of this is that prosecutors filed a one-count "information" in D.C. Superior Court, which is why Arenas is expected to plead guilty on Friday. Charges can only be filed by information when the defendant agrees to waive his right before a grand jury. 

Informations generally are filed when a defendant has agreed to plead guilty to the charge. Officially, the information charges Arenas with carrying a pistol without a license, outside of a home or place of business. A grand jury has been hearing evidence in the case, but no indictment has been returned.

Arenas declined comment through a spokesperson. 

Be sure to visit Bullets Forever for more reaction and news. 

The Wizards just e-mailed a statement to media members reacting to Gilbert Arenas’ felony gun charge today.

We are aware of the charge filed against Gilbert Arenas today and will continue to follow the ongoing legal process very carefully. We will also continue to cooperate fully with the proper authorities and the NBA. Beyond our previous statements on this serious and unfortunate matter, will have no further comment at this time.

(Via Bullets Forever).

The Washington Post has more details on Gilbert Arenas’ felony gun charge.

Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas was charged Thursday with felony gun possession, a crime that carries a maximum five years in jail and a fine, authorities said.

The charge was announced Thursday afternoon by the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District.

Arenas’s attorney and prosecutors had been negotiating a plea deal during the day and it was not immediately clear whether the filing of charges was a part of the deal. Court officials said they had been told to prepare to have Arenas in Superior Court on Friday.

In other words, the felony charge could have been a part of the plea that was being negotiated this morning, or the charge could be unrelated and could eventually be negotiated down into a misdemeanor. The former would be worse for Arenas than the latter.

It’s worth noting that, according to David Aldridge on January 1, the standard NBA contract allows teams to void deals “if convicted of or plead guilty to a felony crime.” This means the Wizards would likely have clear reason to void Arenas’ contract if (and probably only if) Arenas is convicted or pleads guilty to a felony.

So much for the plea agreement. The Washington Post is reporting that Gilbert Arenas will be charged for carrying a pistol outside his home or business, which is a felony in the district.

Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas is charged with carrying a pistol without a license outside home or business, a felony.

Stay tuned to SB Nation and Bullets Forever for more.

Because he possessed four unlicensed firearms in the District of Columbia, Gilbert Arenas could technically be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. However, it appears Arenas could get off with much, much less.

The Washington Post is reporting that Arenas and his lawyers are in the process of negotiating a plea agreement that would keep Arenas out of jail entirely.

The sources said it was unclear whether the plea agreement would set Arenas’s punishment as probation, community service, a fine or some combination. But the negotiations would ensure that Arenas would not go to jail, one of the sources said.

If successful, Arenas could be in court as soon as Thursday, ostensibly to get his sentence. However, no case has been docketed yet, and the two sources the Post quoted stressed that the negotiations “could collapse.”

Arenas and several of his teammates, as well as coach Flip Saunders and general manager Ernie Grunfeld, have met with authorities since the investigation began January 5. The NBA has also met with Arenas and several of the players as part of its ongoing investigation.

As for Javaris Crittenton, the other player involved in the confrontation, it’s still unclear what charges, if any, he’ll face. According to the Post, three players have told league officials that Crittenton chambered a gun during the exchange. However, the details of the three accounts differ, and Crittenton’s gun remains unfound. The NBA would therefore have a difficult time suspending Crittenton because there is not much proof.

The character assassination of Gilbert Arenas continues. WTOP radio is reporting that Gilbert Arenas has at times owned several hundred guns in his life.

According to the report, Arenas has moved most of those guns out of his Viriginia home, but it is still unclear how many he currently possesses. All of the guns were owned legally because the state of Virginia does not require one to have a license (though Washington D.C. does require you to get a license, which Arenas never got on the four guns he brought to the Verizon Center).

Owning several hundred guns is certainly weird, but it’s not unprecedented. There are people out there who collect guns as accessories, and there’s no evidence yet that Arenas collected them for any other reason. But this news certainly is terrible for Arenas’ ever-negative image and perception to the public. There likely won’t be as many people defending Arenas now after hearing this news.

ESPN’s Marc Stein is reporting that Wizards players who participated in a pre-game stunt in which they circled Gilbert Arenas as he made gun motions last Tuesday will be fined by the team.

Stein writes that the fines “were expected to be in the $20,000 to $25,000 range.”

Here’s the picture in question.

The only member of the Wizards’ active roster who is not immediately visible is Caron Butler. It is unclear whether he did not participate in the act or whether he was merely situated out of the view of the camera.

Just when this story couldn’t get any more unbelievable, TMZ is reporting that there is actually video of the Gilbert Arenas-Javaris Crittenton incident.

The Xmas Eve gun standoff between Gilbert Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton may have been caught on tape by surveillance cameras, law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

Let’s forget that the alleged confrontation actually occurred on December 21, not Christmas Eve. If there actually is video, and it ever got out, that could potentially make the whole situation even more explosive (pardon the wording). At the very least, it could clear up many of the hazy details of the story (Did Arenas provoke Crittenton? Did Arenas merely lay his unloaded guns on his locker? Did Crittenton actually load his own gun?).

Also, TMZ’s source says that “there is a better than 50/50 chance the U.S. Attorney will issue a felony arrest warrant against Arenas” and that the Wizards are cooperating so much that it seems they want to nail Arenas themselves.

For now, though, since I’m a Wizards fan depressed by this whole affair, I just want to laugh at this passage.

We’re told the Washington Wizards have told D.C. cops they have locker room surveillance video but are having trouble downloading it. The Geek Squad — aka computer-savvy detectives — are going to the Wizards organization today to help.

Imagine working for Geek Squad and getting that call from the Wizards. So, uhh, we have this video of two players messing around with guns, but we can’t download it. We need your help. How do you respond to that?

UPDATE: According to NBC Washington, the Wizards are denying the report, saying they do not have a camera installed in the locker room.  

So... Last night the Gilbert Arenas-Jarvaris Crittendon gun story went from "pretty wild" to "full-fledged insanity" in a matter of minutes. From Ron Artest to Dennis Rodman, if you will. The sort of crazy we might never see again. With Mike Wise's report last night, you might not say that everything changed, but it definitely got wayyyy more intense. In any case, here's Wise's account one more time, and below, some initial reactions, because this is all too much to process:

Walking into the locker room by himself two days after the dispute on the team plane, according to two witnesses, Arenas laid out the guns in Crittenton's locker. Two other teammates eventually sauntered in and, while Arenas was writing the note in front of Crittenton's cubicle, in walked Crittenton, according to their account.

Asking Arenas what he was doing, Arenas replied, "If you want to shoot me, I'd just thought I'd make it easy for you." As other teammates laughed, Crittenton crumpled up the paper, tossed one of Arenas's guns across the room, where it bounced in front of a team trainer, and said he didn't need any of Arenas' firearms because he had his own, according to the witness accounts. Crittenton then drew his weapon, loaded the clip into the chamber and cocked the bar, the witnesses said.

Neither witness said the gun was ever pointed at Arenas, but both said Crittenton began singing as he held the gun.

• So just for the record, we can all stop bashing Peter Vescey, right? Defending Vescey feels like vouching for a used car salesman that dates high school girls, yes. But his initial report, the one that most everyone dismissed as overly-dramatic, was by far the closest account to the true story.
• Except, this didn't happen on Christmas Eve, as Vescey reported. That would have been the only way this story could be more disastrous for the NBA from a public relations standpoint. 
• Because seriously, this is an NBA TEAM, we're talking about. An NBA LOCKER ROOM.
• As inane as the mock-horror seemed when people were crowing about morality when Gilbert Arenas had a bunch of unloaded firearms, um, this is different. We're talking about loaded guns, here. What if Javaris Crittendon had shot Gilbert's knee, like he'd threatened? NBA Locker room, a crime scene? Is this a bad episode of CSI? Jesus.
  
• I've been in the presence of loaded guns three times, and had one pointed at me once. Words don't really capture how terrifying it is. You may think you're tough, but when someone points a loaded gun at you, it's a whole different ballgame.
• Which makes this nugget that much crazier: "Arenas began laughing, the witnesses said, telling Crittenton, 'Look at that little shiny gun.'" Bravo, Gil.
• Did you know this whole dispute started over $1,100? Freelance Wizards writer Mike Jones reports as much, as he also confirms Wise's story with his own sources. Did you ever think NBA players, who regularly spend thousands of dollars at clubs and casinos -- or spend $1,000,000 to build a lavish pool -- would risk their livelihoods over a measley eleven hundred bucks?
• But it was about pride, you see. "I ain't no punk!" -- Javaris Crittenton
  
•  And indeed, Javaris. You ain't no punk. Loading a weapon, cocking it, and then SINGING? Think about that. Does it get more terrifying? Imagine if you're Arenas in that scenario. You'd have to think that this kid was just plain crazy, right?
  
• Trying really hard not to invoke The Wire here.
• This doesn't change anything for Gilbert, by the way. Even though it's been reported that he was trying to cover up for Crittendon, he still acted like a complete fool in the wake of the allegations. And his behavior, particularly considering his status as one of the league's stars, will not soon be forgotten by Stern, who's wont to get in pissing contests. And win. Just ask the referees union.
  
• And Crittendon, on the other hand, will never play in the NBA again. Even if this version of the story turns out to be fabricated, he better be saving that $1,477,920 he's making this season. He's about to get the Craig Hodges, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf treatment. Just for being involved.
  

And that's all I've got for now. Just crazy.

On the same day that Gilbert Arenas was suspended indefinitely by the NBA, new, much scarier details about the locker room confrontation between him and Javaris Crittenton have surfaced. Originally the story was that Arenas placed four guns on a chair and told Crittenton to "pick one" (remember, all as a joke). But in a new report from Mike Wise of the Washington Post, the scene may have been even more dangerous than previously thought. 

According to two first-hand accounts of the confrontation, Crittenton responded to Arenas's action -- which included laying the four unloaded weapons in Crittenton's cubicle with a note that read, "Pick One" -- by brandishing his own firearm, loading a clip of ammunition into the gun and cocking the weapon.

Arenas never spoke of this earlier because he wanted to protect Crittenton from prosecution. For the record, Crittenton said the account was "false." Also, at this point, his alleged gun has never been found. Preston Burton, a defense attorney in the District, said, "It's going to be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to make a case without a gun." 

The full, updated account of what took place in the Wizards' locker room, as reported by Mike Wise, according to two unnamed witnesses: 

Walking into the locker room by himself two days after the dispute on the team plane, according to two witnesses, Arenas laid out the guns in Crittenton's locker. Two other teammates eventually sauntered in and, while Arenas was writing the note in front of Crittenton's cubicle, in walked Crittenton, according to their account.

Asking Arenas what he was doing, Arenas replied, "If you want to shoot me, I'd just thought I'd make it easy for you." As other teammates laughed, Crittenton crumpled up the paper, tossed one of Arenas's guns across the room, where it bounced in front of a team trainer, and said he didn't need any of Arenas' firearms because he had his own, according to the witness accounts. Crittenton then drew his weapon, loaded the clip into the chamber and cocked the bar, the witnesses said.

Neither witness said the gun was ever pointed at Arenas, but both said Crittenton began singing as he held the gun.

Arenas began laughing, the witnesses said, telling Crittenton, "Look at that little shiny gun," as two other players slowly retreated to the training room.

Arenas eventually followed. By the time the players came back out, Crittenton was gone.

Here is a statement issued by Gilbert Arenas after learning he was suspended indefinitely on Wednesday by the NBA. It's totally not a statement from his lawyer. 

"I feel very badly that my actions have caused the NBA to suspend me, but I understand why the league took this action. I put the NBA in a negative light and let down my teammates and our fans. I am very sorry for doing that.

While I never intended any harm or disrespect to the NBA or anyone else, my gun possession at the Verizon Center and my attempts at humor showed terrible judgment. I take full responsibility for my conduct.

Earlier today, I called Commissioner Stern to apologize, and I hope we will be able to talk soon. I look forward to the day I can return to basketball. In the meantime, I will focus on dealing responsibly with this serious situation and I will continue to cooperate fully with the investigations by law enforcement and NBA authorities."

I called Commissioner Stern to apologize, and I hope we will be able to talk soon -- sounds like Mr. Stern didn't take Gil's call. Then again, no one just calls The Commish. 

The Washington Wizards issued a statement after Gilbert Arenas was suspended indefinitely by NBA commissioner David Stern. 

"We fully endorse the decision of the NBA to indefinitely suspend Gilbert Arenas. Strictly legal issues aside, Gilbert's recent behavior and statements, including his actions and statements last night in Philadelphia, are unacceptable. Some of our other players appeared to find Gilbert's behavior in Philadelphia amusing. This is also unacceptable. Under Abe Pollin's leadership, our organization never tolerated such behavior, and we have no intention of ever doing so."

Ernie Grunfeld, President, Washington Wizards
Irene Pollin, Principal Owner, Washington Sports and Entertainment (WSE)
Robert Pollin, Chief Executive Officer, WSE
James Pollin, President, WSE

Well, then. This has been harder than expected. On Monday, when I detailed The Rise Of Gilbert Arenas and The Fall Of Gilbert Arenas, we could at least take comfort that everything was still a hypothetical discussion. A hypothetical with an inevitable end, but still. Now it's so real.

An icon from my childhood has been reduced to some lifesized puppet being trotted around for comedic effect in some circles, or revolutionary catcalls in others. Lord knows I still hope the Wizards void his contract, but more than anything, I wish this would all just go way. It's like an open wound at this point, and hearing everyone chime in has been more difficult than expected.

The debates about whether he should have been suspended, loaded guns vs. unloaded guns, whether his Twitter account made things worse, whether David Stern has an axe to grind... It's all just sad. None of this has been right or wrong or even that nuanced; it's all just incredibly depressing. For their part, the Wizards had this to say:

We fully endorse the decision of the NBA to indefinitely suspend Gilbert Arenas. Strictly legal issues aside, Gilbert’s recent behavior and statements, including his actions and statements last night in Philadelphia, are unacceptable. Some of our other players appeared to find Gilbert’s behavior in Philadelphia amusing. This is also unacceptable. Under Abe Pollin’s leadership, our organization never tolerated such behavior, and we have no intention of ever doing so."

Ernie Grunfeld, President, Washington Wizards

Irene Pollin, Principal Owner, Washington Sports and Entertainment (WSE)

Robert Pollin, Chief Executive Officer, WSE

James Pollin, President, WSE

Reading that statement, you get the feeling that the Wizards are relieved to have had Stern interject. Especially after last night's histrionics, Gilbert had crossed a line with this franchise. Whether they void is contract is almost irrelevant at this point; no matter what, it's hard to imagine Gilbert Arenas ever wearing a Wizards uniform again. If you don't believe me, just re-read the team's statement. It's over for Gilbert in Washington.

As for the rest of us, the news caused quite a stir on Twitter:

Phoenix Stan of Bright Side of the Sun: Gilbert doesn't have a "right" to play in the NBA. That's a privilege. His acting the fool disrespected his peers, the league, fans, etc.

Tom Ziller of SactownRoyalty: Finger guns, man. We ain't talking about real guns (well, sort of). We talkin' about finger guns.

Chris Littmann of Sporting News: To everyone saying "Finger guns is what did this!?" C'mon now. All it did was expedite the inevitable here. It wasn't the cause though.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports: "Stern feels like he's been taunted by (Arenas)," NBA source says. "He's done for the year....at the very least."

Josh Levin of Slate Magazine: Arenas miming a shootout in player intros is like Tiger doing the shocker after rolling in a putt to win the Masters.

Kyle Weidie of Truth About It: I've criticized Arenas a TON in the past, just check the blog. But damn, if this whole thing ain't a punch in the goddamn gut.

Mark Stein of ESPN.com: ESPN.com sources: Some of Gil's closest pals pleaded w/him for days to stop being so chatty/unrepentant about the situation. Unsuccessfully

Bryan Crawford of Slamonline: Yes, Gil messed up, but remember... One LOADED gun anywhere is more dangerous than 3 or 4 UNLOADED ones... everywhere?

Chris Sheridan of ESPN.com: What tipped the scales in the Arenas case? My opinion: It had a lot to do w/photo you can see by clicking on espn.com nba homepage. Also ... ... statement from Wizards reeks of disgust, making me suspect they're leaning toward voiding Arenas' contract, a la Warriors w/Sprewell.

Chase Hughes of WashingtonWizards.com: The more I think about the poss. end of Arenas in DC, the more somber I get. He has given me my best DC sports memories of the last 10 yrs

Ben Q. Rock of Orlando Pinstriped Post: Wizards sure are lucky to have level-headed bloggers and great mainstream media coverage. No hyperbole, just honesty.

Holly Mackenzie of Slamonline: Having issues w/ "not currently fit" in Stern's statement. There's another player who is arguably not currently fit to be playing, but is.

Bomani Jones of ESPN.com: to clarify--the suspension is fair. and he's right that gil had to be stopped. the phrasing? too much. gilbert's perfectly fit to play ball. just not to be his own agent.

Nate Jones of Goodwin Sports Media: Professional ball players need professional representation. I will leave it at that.

Kevin Durant: Continue to pray for gilbert arenas..i dont care what we do..we deserve a second chance!!

Mike Prada of Bullets Forever: It's unfortunate, but understandable that Gil's being judged as much for his actions after the incident than the incident itself. ... I've got no problem with Stern's decision. Gil did it to himself. Hope it's just a year-long thing and not more.

There are a lot of valuable insights there, and many more that were left out. But for now, as a Wizards fan raised on Gilbert Arenas, it's all sort of hard to process. So much for Character, Commitment, Connection.

Now I'm just confused.

Via Sporting News, a copy of David Stern’s full statement regarding Arenas’ suspension.

“The possession of firearms by an NBA player in an NBA arena is a matter of the utmost concern to us. I initially thought it prudent to refrain from taking immediate action because of the pendency of a criminal investigation involving the office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia and the Metropolitan Police Department, and the consideration of this matter by a grand jury sitting in the District of Columbia. For the same reason, I directed the Wizards to refrain from taking any action.

Wizards personnel continue to be interviewed by law enforcement authorities, some are scheduled for appearance before the grand jury and the investigation is proceeding with the intensity that one would expect for such a serious incident.

Although it is clear that the actions of Mr. Arenas will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse, his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game. Accordingly, I am suspending Mr. Arenas indefinitely, without pay, effective immediately pending the completion of the investigation by the NBA."

Again, ominous words from Commissioner Stern, who’s clearly displeased with Arenas’ antics last night, and in the days following the initial report. So far, there’s been very little in the way of remorse from the Wizards’ superstar, something that no doubt factored into Stern’s decision to act now. It was a public relations crisis the moment it happened, but it seems — in Stern’s eyes, at least — that Gilbert’s words and actions in the wake of the allegations have compounded matters.

Just a few minutes ago in the SB Nation offices, we were wondering aloud why Gilbert hadn't been suspended yet? Technically, it was because the NBA couldn't punish him twice, so if they'd suspended him for ten games now, and he was convicted of a crime later, they couldn't lengthen the suspension. So in other words, the NBA decided not to suspend him because they didn't want to risk putting forth too light a penalty. And... Well, that conversation is now over.

The NBA and Commissioner David Stern have suspended Gilbert Arenas indefinitely, perhaps in response to last night's gun routine, but more likely, an inevitable reaction in light of all the controversy that's been swirling around the superstar guard.

In a statement, Commissioner Stern had this to say: "His ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game." Just dripping with... Polite disgust, if you will.

We'll have more as it emerges.

UPDATE: More Stern: "It is clear that the actions of Mr. Arenas will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse..." Perhaps worse? Could Stern be referring to a voided contract? A suspension spanning multiple seasons? Or perhaps it's just a scare tactic from Stern, who's notorious for wielding his power in demonstrative fashion.

The Washington Post’s crime blog, The Crime Scene, is reporting that the Gilbert Arenas gun case is likely to come before a grand jury as soon as Tuesday.

According to Keith L. Alexander, DC prosecutors are planning to present whatever evidence they have to a Superior Court grand jury Tuesday, but could hold off if they receive more evidence. An indictment could therefore come as soon as this week.

Two law enforcement sources said Tuesday morning that prosecutors planned on presenting evidence to a Superior Court grand jury in the Gilbert Arenas gun case as soon as today.

The case would go to the existing panel. The Examiner reported this morning that a grand jury had been convened for the case and it was “mulling” bringing gun charges against the Washington Wizards guard.

If the grand jury decides to charge Arenas, the indictment could come later this week. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is ongoing, cautioned that they are still investigating. If they uncover more evidence, they would present that to the panel and that could delay charges, the sources said.

After meeting with the grand jury today for two hours, Gilbert Arenas and his lawyer, Kenneth L. Wainstein, released statements describing their version of what happened on December 21.

In his statement, Arenas took responsibility for bringing in four unloaded guns to the Wizards' locker room and bringing them out to play a practical joke on Javaris Crittenton. He also apologized for the joke and for letting down his team and the NBA.

Via Bullets Forever and the Washington Post Wizards Insider blog:

As I have said before, I had kept the four unloaded handguns in my house in Virginia, but then moved them over to my locker at the Verizon Center to keep them away from my young kids. I brought them without any ammunition into the District of Columbia, mistakenly believing that the recent change in the DC gun laws allowed a person to store unloaded guns in the District. 

On Monday, December 21st, I took the unloaded guns out in a misguided effort to play a joke on a teammate. Contrary to some press accounts, I never threatened or assaulted anyone with the guns and never pointed them at anyone. 

Joke or not, I now recognize that what I did was a mistake and was wrong. I should not have brought the guns to DC in the first place, and I now realize that there's no such thing as joking around when it comes to guns -- even if unloaded. 

I am very sorry for the effect that my serious lapse in judgment has had on my team, my teammates, the National Basketball Association and its fans. I want to apologize to everybody for letting them down with my conduct, and I promise to do better in the future.

Echoing what I wrote for SBNation this morning, Bullets Forever blogger and SB Nation contributor Mike Prada checks in with a thorough discussion of Arenas' future with the team. Namely, he might not have one:

Gilbert Arenas officially crossed a line when he brought guns into the locker room.  He crosses that line if his version of the story (he brought them in to diffuse tension with Javaris Crittenton and it didn't work) holds up, and he crosses that line if it was worse than that.  Having guns on team property is against NBA rules.  It's arguably illegal in DC.  It threatens the perceived safety (i.e. it doesn't matter if the guns were loaded or not) of the locker room for your teammates, your coaches and, as Matt Moore pointed out to me on Twitter today, even the journalists and bloggers like myself who cover your team.  It's a major no-no under any circumstances, and image problem or not, the league should respond harshly.  Intent isn't important here, because the lapse in judgment is so awful.       

And with the Wizards currently in disarray anyway, Gilbert Arenas should get no second chance to prove himself as a Wizard again when the inevitable harsh (read: season-long) suspension from the NBA comes.  Maybe in another situation, he could.  Maybe if the Wizards were 21-10 instead of 10-21, he could.  But not here, and not now.  This team needs a facelift anyway, and the face of the previous edition of the Wizards cannot possibly lead that facelift when he's coming off such a colossal error in judgment like this. 

But Prada preaches caution, as well. Just because Gilbert doesn't fit with future doesn't meant we should suddenly question his character.

Arenas deserves a second chance somewhere else because his issues are workable.  We should be very careful to make sweeping judgments about his character that would require linking his lapse in judgment with the guns to his eccentric personality, his recent Twitter binge or his mini-dramas on and off the court.  That's unfair to Arenas, and it would be two-faced of us, who once celebrated his crazy side and told him never to turn it off.

It's a pretty fantastic discussion of all that's gone on, and how the Wizards might proceed. There's some differences of opinions between Prada and I, but on the whole, the conclusion is the same: after this latest controversy, Arenas' tenure with the Wizards will never recover. It's a sad commentary on the how quickly relationships between a superstar and a franchise can devolve, but then again, it's also a testament to just how reckless it was for Arenas to bring guns to an NBA arena.

As Stephen Jackson, the NBA's resident hothead, said to AOL Fanhouse, "Even I can't imagine that." When a star player's behavior makes Stephen Jackson blush, there's something seriously wrong.

According to TMZ, Gilbert Arenas' gun case is headed to a D.C. Grand Jury:

Arenas -- aka Agent Zero -- and Crittenton are being interviewed by D.C. detectives right now. Law enforcement tells TMZ after the interviews, the plan is to take the case before the D.C. grand jury. We're told the U.S. Attorney (which presents local cases to the grand jury in D.C.) will call the head coach for the Washington Wizards and someone on the security team at the Verizon Center as witnesses.

We're told, in addition to weapons charges, Arenas and Crittenton could be charged with criminal assault.

Something to keep in mind: if Gilbert Arenas is convicted of a felony, his contract will almost unquestionably be voided. And though the locker room conflict has been downplayed as horseplay by Arenas, it seems that D.C. detectives have a different perspective, at least for now. We'll continue to keep you update as this story evolves and more details emerge throughout the day.

Well it’s been a weekend of conflicting stories and confusing implications with regard to what may or may not have happened in the Wizards locker room a few weeks ago. But courtesy of Adrian Wojnarowski, who broke this story for Yahoo, this much has become clear: The NBA’s not laughing.

Arenas will try use to his charm and clownish antics as the cornerstone of his defense. Whatever legal issues could arise with the strict gun laws in D.C., there’s still the matter of Stern’s punishment. This story has engulfed the league, and several league office and team sources believe Stern will be harsh in his judgment no matter what the legal system decides to do. This could be a suspension that extends over months, possibly the rest of the season.

[…]

Arenas is trying to laugh his way out of something that isn’t funny and isn’t a joke to his franchise, to the NBA. Maybe Agent Zero tried to get one too many laughs, but whatever happened, however he tries to spin it now, the consequences promise to be immense for him. He has a story for law enforcement on Monday, and maybe it’s the truth and they’ll believe it. Eventually, he’s going to New York for a most unforgiving judge and jury in Olympic Tower, for David Stern, and it will be a good, long time before Gilbert Arenas is back in the NBA.

The rest of Wojnarowski’s report is fantastic, as he chronicles what’s been a disastrous campaign for Arenas and the Wizards. We’ll have much more on Arenas tomorrow, but for now, as this latest report suggests, the details in this story are secondary. Regardless of what happened that day, the ramifications for Arenas are going to be very, very serious. Something that will undoubtedly alter the career of someone who, just a few years ago, was considered the league’s fastest rising star. In the words of Bunk Moreland… “Some shameful sh—.”

What exactly took place between Gilbert Arenas, Javaris Crittenton, and guns? What are the implications? Days after the incident, the details are hazy. Our Washington Wizards blog, Bullets Forever, has sorted out the details and spelled out what we know, what we don't, and what the future holds for these two players.

What are the possible implications?

• Arenas and Crittenton get suspended, heavily.  I imagine that David Stern is going to make an example of both and suspend them for the rest of the season.  Anything less would be a huge shock to me.  
• Arenas gets convicted of a felony, or at the very least a misdemeanor.  
• Same with Crittenton.
• If it's the former, Arenas' contract gets voided, which would put the Wizards sort of into the 2010 sweepstakes, with a combined team salary around $38 million.  (Crittenton's contract is up after this year, so the salary-cap implications of voiding his contract are irrelevant).
• People at the top lose their jobs.
• Crittenton's career essentially ends (again, potentially).
• Worst of all, this organization will receive a stigma that is going to be impossible to shake.  General managers are going to circle the Wizards' players like vultures and try to nab them for nothing.  Free agents are going to pause before signing here.  Players are going to feel strange entering that locker room.  Potential general managers are going to shy away from taking on this rebuilding project.  Employees everywhere within the organization might lose their jobs once new ownership comes in hoping for a fresh start.  Again, this is going to happen even if the Wizards void Arenas' contract.  The benefits of doing that are to create long-term flexibility, but the stigma that results could make it difficult to capitalize on that flexibility for a long time. 
  

To separate the facts from the fiction, click through to read the rest, and stay tuned to Bullets Forever as this story develops.

Obviously there are conflicting reports on what actually happened between Gilbert Arenas and his teammate. Bullets Forever has the linkage from NBA.com and the Washington Post.

The Post is reporting that the alleged dispute was nothing more than a couple of guys sitting around wondering who had the bigger gun.

A person who has spoken with Arenas recently said that the incident involving Crittenton was “nothing more than horseplay” and that there was never any intent to physically harm Crittenton. The person also said the argument between Arenas and Crittenton was over “who had the bigger gun.”

If that is indeed the case, someone needs to introduce these guys to Plaxico Burress and his current predicament. Then again, bringing them to the arena seems like a whole new level of crazy.

According to CSNWashington’s Chris Miller, Gilbert Arenas did not brandish a weapon in his dispute with Javaris Crittendon. Of course, it should be noted that in the entire article that accompanies this claim, there’s nothing we could excerpt to corroborate this claim except for this:

Comcast SportsNet’s Chris Miller is reporting that Arenas did not point a gun at Crittenton and that Crittenton himself did not have a weapon.

So, uh, take his word for it? Of course, as an addendum to all the conflicting reports regarding what did or did not happen, it seems Gilbert Arenas has begun using Twitter. Just now, he’s offered the following thoughts:

i understand this is serious..but if u ever met me you know i dont do serious things im a goof ball this story today dont sound goofy to me. … i hav media outside my house…sumone tell them its to cold to be sittin out there they might get frost bite…it is winter still…

Check back for more updates as this gets sorted out, and for more reaction from Wizards fans, check out Bullets Forever, where Mike Prada and the commenters are trying to make sense of this mess, themselves.

Just over an hour ago, Gilbert Arenas tweeted the following, "i wake up this morning and seen i was the new JOHN WAYNE..lmao media is too funny." Now, we have a more official denial, as the Washington Post's Wizards beat writer, Michael Lee, reports that Arenas said, "I saw the story. Very compelling stuff. Some real O.K. corral stuff," in reference to the New York Post article, and added, "That's not the real story."

Lee also reports that Arenas is considering a lawsuit against the New York Post. Again, investigations are ongoing and details are still emerging, but it seems that between Yahoo's initial report, the New York Post account, and now Arenas' denials, it could take a while before we actually find out the truth. In the interim, more "Bookie Ball" please.