http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/13858227p-14698019c.html
Bibby and friends explain fray
Accuser threw first punch, say members of Kings guard's Team Dime group.
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, November 14, 2005
Kings guard Mike Bibby said his cousin Raymond Walcott absorbed the first blow thrown in a September nightclub altercation that has resulted in a police investigation and a pending review by the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.
Bibby is not considered a suspect in the case, according to officials, but he as well as members of his group of friends and family - also known as Team Dime - have been interviewed by police.
A man, whom The Bee has not identified because he said he fears retaliation for going to the police, claims he was assaulted without provocation by members of Bibby's group Sept. 9.
Bibby said he and a group of friends and family were in the MoMo Lounge that night celebrating Walcott's birthday.
"A woman walked up to me and said, 'Hi' and then right after that a guy bumped into me and spilled drinks over me," Bibby said. "It seemed like it was intentional to me."
Matt Nielsen, a longtime friend of Bibby, said he saw the man bump into Bibby, who was holding drinks in each hand.
"When the dude bumped into him," Nielsen, 28, said, "the drinks flew all over him and me. And my first reaction was like, 'Whoa, what happened?' and to get in between Mike and this guy and get him ... out of there.
"I got in between them and Raymond saw me and I don't know if (Walcott) thought I was about to fight or what, but then Raymond pushed me out of the way.
Walcott said he intervened to make sure everything was all right.
"And when I did like that, the guy he just stole on me. He hit me in my nose. And that was it. Everybody thinks they have a story to tell or they've seen something, but they don't know what happened. And after I got hit, I defended myself."
Said Nielsen: "I was trying to get Mike out of the way and I didn't even see that Raymond had gotten punched until after the whole little scuffle had ended."
Two bouncers asked about the incident on Friday night declined to be interviewed.
Deputy District Attorney Lana Wyant said Thursday the case still was being reviewed by the Sacramento County office.
Jeremiah Johnson, who has known Bibby since they attended middle school together in Phoenix, said he was upset after the altercation because he felt the player's group was being unfairly labeled as the instigators.
"All this talk that we started it is wrong," Johnson said. "We were told by the bouncers (and management) that we had something to do with starting it. And we told them we had nothing to do with it. It was our boy who got hit first."
Bibby said the group known as Team Dime is being portrayed inaccurately around the city.
"It's not a gang and we don't go out looking for or starting trouble," Bibby said. "I've been told that people are representing themselves as being with us. I've been told that people have said they were my bodyguards. I don't have a bodyguard."
Johnson said there are about 10 or 11 folks locally in Team Dime.
Said Walcott, 32: "We are simply a group of family and friends who have known each other for a very long time and are very loyal. We're just a support group for Mike. We're not out looking to fight, but that's what people are saying about us."
Nielsen said words of advice handed down to NBA players when they are rookies came to fruition.
"I told Mike that this was exactly what the league was talking about when he attended one of those rookie seminars," Nielsen said. "After you get drafted, the league warns you about situations where people will instigate just like this one. People will talk mess to you."
About the writer: The Bee's Martin McNeal can be reached at mmcneal@sacbee.com
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If this ever gets to court, I'll be very interested in hearing the OTHER side of the story...and what the non-Team Dime witnesses have to say.
Bibby and friends explain fray
Accuser threw first punch, say members of Kings guard's Team Dime group.
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, November 14, 2005
Kings guard Mike Bibby said his cousin Raymond Walcott absorbed the first blow thrown in a September nightclub altercation that has resulted in a police investigation and a pending review by the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.
Bibby is not considered a suspect in the case, according to officials, but he as well as members of his group of friends and family - also known as Team Dime - have been interviewed by police.
A man, whom The Bee has not identified because he said he fears retaliation for going to the police, claims he was assaulted without provocation by members of Bibby's group Sept. 9.
Bibby said he and a group of friends and family were in the MoMo Lounge that night celebrating Walcott's birthday.
"A woman walked up to me and said, 'Hi' and then right after that a guy bumped into me and spilled drinks over me," Bibby said. "It seemed like it was intentional to me."
Matt Nielsen, a longtime friend of Bibby, said he saw the man bump into Bibby, who was holding drinks in each hand.
"When the dude bumped into him," Nielsen, 28, said, "the drinks flew all over him and me. And my first reaction was like, 'Whoa, what happened?' and to get in between Mike and this guy and get him ... out of there.
"I got in between them and Raymond saw me and I don't know if (Walcott) thought I was about to fight or what, but then Raymond pushed me out of the way.
Walcott said he intervened to make sure everything was all right.
"And when I did like that, the guy he just stole on me. He hit me in my nose. And that was it. Everybody thinks they have a story to tell or they've seen something, but they don't know what happened. And after I got hit, I defended myself."
Said Nielsen: "I was trying to get Mike out of the way and I didn't even see that Raymond had gotten punched until after the whole little scuffle had ended."
Two bouncers asked about the incident on Friday night declined to be interviewed.
Deputy District Attorney Lana Wyant said Thursday the case still was being reviewed by the Sacramento County office.
Jeremiah Johnson, who has known Bibby since they attended middle school together in Phoenix, said he was upset after the altercation because he felt the player's group was being unfairly labeled as the instigators.
"All this talk that we started it is wrong," Johnson said. "We were told by the bouncers (and management) that we had something to do with starting it. And we told them we had nothing to do with it. It was our boy who got hit first."
Bibby said the group known as Team Dime is being portrayed inaccurately around the city.
"It's not a gang and we don't go out looking for or starting trouble," Bibby said. "I've been told that people are representing themselves as being with us. I've been told that people have said they were my bodyguards. I don't have a bodyguard."
Johnson said there are about 10 or 11 folks locally in Team Dime.
Said Walcott, 32: "We are simply a group of family and friends who have known each other for a very long time and are very loyal. We're just a support group for Mike. We're not out looking to fight, but that's what people are saying about us."
Nielsen said words of advice handed down to NBA players when they are rookies came to fruition.
"I told Mike that this was exactly what the league was talking about when he attended one of those rookie seminars," Nielsen said. "After you get drafted, the league warns you about situations where people will instigate just like this one. People will talk mess to you."
About the writer: The Bee's Martin McNeal can be reached at mmcneal@sacbee.com
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If this ever gets to court, I'll be very interested in hearing the OTHER side of the story...and what the non-Team Dime witnesses have to say.
