Warriors GM Bob Myers said the team is "going to stand by" coach Mark Jackson after he said he had been the victim of an extortion attempt. Myers said, "He was great for us last year. We look forward to him coaching this team and we’re going to see this through with him” ("NBA Draft," ESPN, 6/28). In S.F., Henry Lee reports the extortion attempt comes from an "ex-stripper who authorities say threatened to release nude photographs of the married former NBA star." Alexis Adams and an acquaintance, Marcus Shaw, "were arrested and charged this week with extorting thousands of dollars from Jackson." The charges "were filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, where Adams and Shaw live." Investigators said that during a nearly year-long relationship six years ago, Jackson "sent nude pictures of himself to Adams." FBI Special Agent Beth Alvarez in her affidavit stated that on April 3 of this year, a "stranger approached Jackson at a hotel in Memphis and showed him a folder containing similar photographs of the coach." Authorities said that Jackson eventually "gave Shaw $5,000 in cash in exchange for the folder with the photos and the CD, which he then destroyed." Jackson notified the Warriors "of the alleged extortion scheme, and together they contacted the FBI" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 6/29). In San Jose, Monte Poole writes although the incident "will not threaten Jackson's job security, it gives the Warriors valid reason to sit with the coach in an effort to discover if there might be any more ... unpleasant surprises." This is the "second unsavory episode related to Jackson" since he was hired last June, and even though "nothing suggests the coach is involved in criminal behavior, being connected to these matters pierces his character." Poole: "The Warriors, who made it clear they don't condone Jackson's behavior, probably will forgive. ... He must know, however, that every eye in the building is watching his every move" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 6/29).
