The Los Angeles Police Protective League, which is representative of 9,000 cops, sent a four-page letter about Jaxson Hayes’ actions to NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson. The LAPPL is seeking disciplinary actions against Hayes over his behavior during his July 27 arrest.
TMZ says, “<em>Law enforcement says Hayes refused orders, hurled the n-word at officers, and pushed one cop so hard into the wall, the basketball player injured the ‘much physically smaller’ man</em>.”
The letter tells Silver and Benson that “<em>the actions of your player were unlawful, completely unacceptable and are as clear a prima facie case of violating several of the National Basketball Association policies as we have seen.</em>” It continues: “<em>We respectfully request that you immediately initiate a thorough investigation into Mr. Hayes’ actions before, during and after the incident and to take appropriate corrective action to hold Mr. Hayes accountable</em>. … <em>We ask you to investigate Mr. Hayes’ use of the ‘N-word’ during the incident, and based on the obvious evidence, hold him accountable for the blatant violation of the NBA’s values of ‘equality, tolerance, inclusion and respect</em>.’”
Jaxson Hayes was tased in his struggle against three police officers, <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2021/08/04/jaxson-hayes-arrest-video-shows-new-orleans-pelicans-center-struggling-lapd-investigating-possible-use-excessive-force/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TMZ</a> reports, adding that the LAPD “launched an investigation into the arrest after Hayes alleged force was applied to his neck, causing him difficulty breathing.”
Hayes was arrested at about 3 a.m., hospitalized, and posted $25K bond for his resisting arrest charge. “Body worn video captured Hayes repeatedly attempting to enter the residence despite officers blocking his path and verbal commands for him to remain outside,’’ police stated. “Officers requested a backup and they attempted to place Hayes’ hands behind his back; however, Hayes broke free of the officers’ grasp and pushed one of the officers into a wall.”
TMZ obtained an excerpt of video footage of the arrest, embedded below<strong>. The clip is graphic and viewer discretion is advised:</strong>
