Nothing Good Happens After 2 a.m.

In the aftermath of the stabbing incident involving Pacers forward Chris Copeland a few nights ago and his subsequent apology, I've seen more comments from people saying that Copeland has nothing to apologize for.  He's a victim.  I'm not disputing that.  But if you don't think Chris Copeland owed people an apology, you're an idiot.

I have no idea what actually happened at that club or what led to Copeland being stabbed.  Apparently no one else does either, seeing as the police report, the statement by the club and what witnesses have said all contradict each other.  But I do know this: an NBA player should not have been in that situation at 4:00 in the morning on the night before a game.

One of the first classic episodes of How I Met Your Mother (after the amazing pilot) came in season one.  It was the episode where Ted's waiting for a phone call from his girlfriend in Germany, but he gets a call from Robin instead.  He ends up going over to Robin's apartment, lies about being broken up, and they start going at it.  Ted's girlfriend calls while he's in the bathroom, Robin talks to her, finds out they aren't broken up at all, and kicks Ted out.  Ted then calls his girlfriend back and they break up.  But he's also screwed up his chance at getting together with Robin.  At the end, he reminds his kids that "nothing good happens after 2 a.m."  The episode is aptly titled "Nothing Good Happens After 2 a.m."

Ever since that episode aired, I've found it amazing how true the adage rings.  So, as Ted Mosby, in all his infinite wisdom, suggests, "if you're out after 2 a.m., just go home and go to bed."

Chris Copeland should've heeded Ted's advice.  Yes, he's an adult.  But that doesn't mean he should be given a pass for making a stupid decision that led to this situation.  Do the Pacers have a curfew on the road?  If they do, I'm sure Copeland was out past it.  One guy went on to detail the Pacers' schedule for the days in question.  They had flown into New York that afternoon and practiced, but evidently there was nothing between that practice and the game against the Knicks on Wednesday night.  I don't know about the NBA, but I know in college, pretty much all teams have a shootaround at the arena on the morning of a game.  So, if the Pacers had a shootaround, you'd have to figure that's something Copeland would've been required to be at.  Likewise, even if they did just have the game, would it really be OK for him to come strolling into the hotel at whatever time of day and roll out of bed in time for the game?

So, yes, Chris Copeland did owe an apology.  To the Indiana Pacers.  He obviously didn't deserve to be stabbed, but he put himself in that situation because he made a poor decision.  He put himself over the team.  And this is a team that's fighting for a playoff spot, mind you.  If I was the Pacers, Copeland wouldn't have played against the Knicks even if he wasn't in the hospital.  He would've been benched.

There's precedent for benching athletes that break curfew.  It happens all the time.  Perhaps the most famous story of it involves Vince Lombardi.  The night before Super Bowl I, Max McGee and Paul Hornung, two veterans figuring they weren't going to play anyway, snuck out of the hotel and went out in LA.  Lombardi found out and benched them both, but he ended up needing McGee after starting wide receiver Boyd Dowler got hurt on the third play of the game and McGee ended up scoring the first touchdown in Super Bowl and arguably should've been the game's MVP.

As for the two Atlanta Hawks players that were there, I don't know their story, either.  But the same thing applies.  They were arrested for preventing police officers from setting up the crime scene, although that's being challenged by both the players' attorneys and the NBPA.  The Hawks were in town to play the Nets, but my questioning of Copeland's judgment applies to them as well. 

It's made even worse by the fact that Atlanta isn't fighting for a playoff berth.  They're the best team in the Eastern Conference and a legitimate title contender.  One of them broke his leg in the melee and is out for the year.  So, you play for one of the best teams in the NBA and now they're without you for the rest of the season and the entire postseason because you couldn't go to bed at a decent hour.  On the night before a game.  Not just stupid.  Incredibly selfish.

Yet neither of the Hawks players thinks he did anything wrong.  Well, I think the NYPD would disagree, but that's a whole different story.  No apology coming out of Atlanta.  Even though there needs to be.

Sometimes these guys don't think.  That's what I think is the main problem here.  I don't know why those three players were at the same club at 4:00 in the morning or the circumstances that led to Chris Copeland being stabbed.  But it's not OK that people are giving them a pass.  They shouldn't be able to do whatever they want just because they play in the NBA.  There needs to be some accountability.  And if, as some have suggested, this (guys being out late at clubs) happens all the time, that's an even bigger problem.  Because Ted was absolutely right.  Nothing good happens after 2 a.m.