ABC's "Wide World of Sports" featured a video version of
Phil Taylor's "Bad Actors" article in SI's January 30 issue.
Taylor interviews Bulls Coach Phil Jackson, Former player/radio
talk host Norm Van Lier, as well as NBA Commissioner David Stern.
Stern: "So, you've got three players missing practice. The same
number have been missing practice for the last fifty years of our
existence, but you need something to write about. ... Each of
those acts that make you wince, also make news in an incredible
way. And that's the price of having the kind of coverage we
have. None of it is excusable, if you are paid to play and you
are paid to practice, then you should show up and you should play
and you should practice" (ABC, 1/28).
TWO PLAYERS RESPOND: In the wake of the SI story, the Nets'
Derrick Coleman released a statement "vowing to stay a Net,
pledging full support" for Nets Coach Butch Beard and promising
to become a team leader (Shaun Powell, N.Y. NEWSDAY, 1/29).
Coleman insists the timing of his statement had nothing to do
with the story, which prods Ailene Voisin to write, "Uh, huh"
(ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 1/29).
