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O'Neal Suspended for Profane TV Comments

Posted on: Monday, 2 February 2004, 06:00 CST

Shaquille O'Neal was suspended without pay by the NBA on Monday, one day after using obscene language and publicly criticizing the officials during a television interview.

The suspension was announced just hours after O'Neal issued a statement apologizing for the comments he made following the Lakers' 84-83 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.

O'Neal will serve the suspension Monday night, sitting out a game against the Eastern Conference-leading Indiana Pacers.

O'Neal scored a season-high 36 points against the Raptors in his third game back after missing 12 because of a strained right calf, but was angered by the officiating.

He made that clear in his postgame interview on KCAL-TV - conducted almost immediately after the game.

"My message to (commissioner) David Stern is get some people in there that understand the game and don't try to take over the ... game because people pay good money to see good athletes play," O'Neal said.

When reminded he was on live TV, O'Neal responded with another profanity before the interview continued.

"My comments were made out of frustration in the heat of the moment," O'Neal said in the statement released Monday by the Lakers. "But I realize that my choice of words was inappropriate and again, I would like to apologize."

The game at Indiana was the second of a seven-game road trip for the Lakers, who played without injured stars Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone, as well as O'Neal.

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