The NBPA, doing its job, will appeal Jeff Taylor's 24-game domestic violence suspension

When the NBA suspended Charlotte Hornets forward Jeff Taylor an unprecedented 24 games after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic abuse charges, it was quite obvious what new’ish NBA commissioner Adam Silver was doing. In the wake of the NFL’s shameful handling of its own domestic violence problems, a harsh penalty was needed in order to reinforce the message that We’re. Not. Putting. Up. With. This. Stuff. Anymore.

Even Silver himself admitted that the penalty, which will lapse after Taylor sits out 13 more games following the 11 he’s missed already, is unprecedented:

This suspension is necessary to protect the interests of the NBA and the public's confidence in it. Mr. Taylor's conduct violates applicable law and, in my opinion, does not conform to standards of morality and is prejudicial and detrimental to the NBA. While the suspension is significantly longer than prior suspensions for incidents of domestic violence by NBA players, it is appropriate in light of Mr. Taylor's conduct, the need to deter similar conduct going forward, and the evolving social consensus -- with which we fully concur -- that professional sports leagues like the NBA must respond to such incidents in a more rigorous way. [...]

The NBA is committed to vigilance with respect to domestic violence. We will continue to work closely with the Players Association to provide education, awareness training, and appropriate resources to NBA players and their families. We recognize our responsibility to do all that we can to prevent this destructive and unacceptable conduct from happening in the future.

In an unfortunate but understandable response, the NBPA issued a statement on Thursday taking issue with the idea that the NBA in any way worked “closely” with the players’ union:

The 24-game suspension imposed by Commissioner Silver against Jeff Taylor is excessive, without precedent and a violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement ("CBA"). The CBA contemplates a minimum 10 game suspension in any case involving a conviction for a violent felony, including domestic violence. In contrast, Jeff Taylor was charged with a misdemeanor that is likely to be dismissed at the end of a probationary period. The 24-game suspension is one of the longest in the history of the league. We have a scheme of discipline that was the result of collective bargaining between the parties that has been applied consistently over the years. While we appreciate the sensitivity of this societal issue, the Commissioner is not entitled to rewrite the rules or otherwise ignore precedent in disciplinary matters. While ultimately this is Jeff's decision, we stand ready to file an immediate appeal on his behalf.

There are few things more abhorrent than the act that Jeff Taylor pleaded guilty to engaging in, but the NBPA is doing its job, and it is absolutely well within its rights to appeal the league’s solitary decision.

The league and its players are supposed to work together in order to collectively bargain the penalties issued to players for various misdeeds – if such a term could be applied to something as awful as domestic violence. The NBPA, led by Michele Roberts, is not condoning domestic violence when it points out that the league went against a legally-binding agreement that is less than three years old.

The NBA needed to make a strong move, and personally I think we should agree to the length of the suspension. However, it would have been in both the NBA and NBPA’s best interests if they would have met in the wake of Taylor’s arrest to discuss lengthening the penalties for crimes like these in the wake of a societal conversation that we all should have engaged in a very long time ago.