The Phantom
Two weeks ago
Man arrested over alleged racial abuse of Harrell
Good to see the police arresting someone being a keyboard warrior abusing someone racially.
Hopefully more of it happens, the arrest not the abuse, not just in sports but all walks of life.
A man who allegedly racially abused NBL star Montrezl Harrell via social media has been charged following what authorities have described as the "first-ever successful arrest" for such an offence in Australian basketball.
In a statement, Basketball Australia (BA) said the accused, a 37-year-old man from the Melbourne suburb of Huntingdale, was arrested by Victoria Police Wednesday last week.
Police allege the messages were sent directly to the Adelaide 36er's personal social media account following a match against Melbourne United at John Cain Arena on Sunday, November 17.
"These messages were sent from an anonymous account, with officers working to identify the sender since the matter was referred to Victoria Police," police said.
Several fans were ejected during that match following an altercation with 36ers players, but police said the man was "not connected to any" of those fans.
Police said the accused had been "charged with using a carriage service to menace, harass and/or offend" and had been bailed to appear at Moorabbin Magistrates' Court on August 15.
In a statement released on Friday, BA said the arrest had been made after its integrity unit reported the incident to police.
BA said it was the "first-ever successful arrest of a person in Australian basketball on charges of racially abusing an athlete via social media".
"This is a landmark moment in strengthening the measures available to BA and the NBL, alongside legal authorities, to safeguard and protect athletes in all areas of public access," BA said in a statement.
The 36ers confirmed the arrest involved alleged abuse against one of its players.
