Jacob Eisenberg

Gilbert Arenas did not get the memo; unlicensed guns are not allowed in the Washington Wizards locker room or in the District of Columbia. On Jan. 2, reports leaked that Arenas had pulled a gun on a teammate, Javaris Crittenton, before their Christmas Eve game. The argument was reportedly triggered by a gambling debt owed by Arenas to Crittenton.

            In a league in which the average annual salary is slightly more than three million dollars, money still apparently casts a shadow over the players’ eyes of right from wrong. It was befuddling that Arenas, previously an all-star, was making over $16 million per season, plus double that in endorsement money, yet he still refused to pay a debt tantamount to pocket change for the player.

            Gambling has been a staple of NBA locker rooms since the league was created, though team owners and league officers far from encourage it. There had never been a catastrophic incident with gambling until now.

            The night after reports of the incident broke out, Arenas seemed uncomfortably nonchalant about the incident. He was caught laughing with teammates in pregame warm-ups, mocking the recent reports by pretending to shoot at co-captain Antawn Jamison. Arenas was subsequently suspended indefinitely the next day by Commissioner David Stern for violating league conduct policies.

            One week after reports broke out, when it became clear to Arenas that this was a serious matter, he released a statement to the public in which he apologized for misinterpreting the law and said that the possession of the gun was a “lapse in judgment and joke gone wrong.” Many condemned Arenas for failing to express great remorse for his actions.

            Shortly after the statement was released, Arenas’ top endorser, Adidas, who considered Arenas to be one of their most established representatives, voided their contract with him, citing disorderly conduct. On Jan. 15, Arenas pleaded guilty to carrying an unlicensed pistol, which is a felony that carries a maximum five-year jail sentence. The courts determined that Arenas’ degree of crime was not severe, allowing him to get off with no jail time. However, he was assigned 100 hours of community service and one year of probation.

            On Jan. 27, the NBA suspended Arenas, along with Crittenton for the remainder of the NBA season. Reports came out that Arenas requested the suspension, and he looked to void his contract with the Wizards, claiming that he no longer desired to play for the team owner. Arenas will go without pay for the remainder of the season, and his career in D.C. is all but over. Though Arenas’s talent will undoubtedly earn him a contract with another team, his capability of being a top scorer and all-star game participant are in question. The Wizards are 5-8 since Arenas has been suspended, with their playoff aspirations long gone. The Wizards will try to move forward without the face of their franchise.