Thabo Sefolosha
Former Atlanta Hawks standout Thabo Sefolosha is a truly interesting case. Born and raised in Switzerland, he speaks three languages – French, English, and Italian. The man has played professional basketball in Italy, Turkey, Switzerland, and the US.
Back in 2015, Thabo was involved in a physical altercation with NYPD officers when asked to leave a posh Chelsea bar right after a stabbing had occurred. Eventually, it took five cops on scene to place Sefolosha into custody for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and other charges outside. Video exists of the altercation in which Thabo sustained a fractured tibia is his left leg that ended his season. At no point does there appear to be any striking of the legs of the much larger man by the police during the tussle from what is captured on the video.
There’s a couple of things to comment on here. Number 1: As soon as the cuffs went on, the altercation was over. Five officers did what they had to do to get a tree of a man into custody. None of them were unhinged or out of control and it appeared by the book. Secondly, old Thabo should have known better than to challenge the police in the first place after living in several countries to include Turkey. I’d like to see how Turkish police deal with a civilian resisting arrest. My bet is Thabo wouldn’t dare to find out. Finally, the charges were dismissed. To me, this is a sign of privilege running contrary to claims he’s made about his blackness putting a target on his back. There’s no way an average Joe would have been able to swing that dismissal in court – but it doesn’t end there.
High powered attorneys, D-Level celebrity status, bad PR for the NYPD, and yes – Thabo’s blackness in combination with all those things at a time when police are consistently taking it on the chin – lead to him being awarded a $4 million settlement. He originally sued for $50 million. It’s important to note that large cites settle over everything. I once saw the City of Atlanta make a $250K when they were sued by a prospective police officer who was passed on hiring when his blood tests came back HIV positive during the hiring process. It’s no wonder everyone sues these days.
