Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Three basketball players suspended over stabbing

Taipei, Jan. 15 (CNA) Three players of a local basketball team were suspended indefinitely without pay over their involvement in a stabbing, their head coach Wu Chien-kuo said at a press conference Tuesday.

Wang Chuan-chien, Chou Tzu-hua and Wu Jun-hsiung, who play for the Dmedia Numen team, were allegedly involved in the knifing incident last Sunday and have been suspended indefinitely without pay until an investigation is completed, Wu said.

The stabbing took place when the players became involved in a dispute with a group of youngsters over a girl outside a Taipei nightclub. Three men were stabbed by a number of unidentified men, who the victims claimed were friends of the players.

The players did not attend the press conference.

The final decision on the players' future with the team will be made after the investigation and legal process are completed, Wu said.

Dmedia Numen is one of the seven teams in the Super Basketball League (SBL) -- Taiwan's top basketball competition. Chou, a 20-year-old guard, played in two games with the team this season while Wang, 22, and Wu, 23, practiced with the team but were not listed on the 18-man roster.

Dmedia, which ranks third in the SBL with nine wins and four losses, was hit by another disorder incident on the same day. Forward Cheng Jen-wei was suspended for four games and received a NT$50,000 fine for throwing a punch at opponents in a game Sunday.