Fan Launches 'Free Ron Artest' Site
Man Aims To Rally Support For Suspended Pacers Player
POSTED: 3:46 pm EST November 24, 2004
INDIANAPOLIS -- Bill Moore thinks Ron Artest got a raw deal with the length of his suspension. Now like-minded basketball fans can express that sentiment among themselves and to the NBA through Moore's new Web site.
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The Lebanon resident on Wednesday launched FreeRonArtest.com, a site that, among other things, lets people write forum messages about the beleaguered Indiana Pacers forward and fire off e-mails to the NBA league office.
Moore said he bought the domain name on Sunday, the day the NBA announced suspensions for Artest and eight other players for their roles in a brawl at the Nov. 19 Pacers game in Auburn Hills, Mich.
Artest was suspended for the rest of the season, a punishment that would cost him nearly $5 million in salary. Moore, a Pacers fan, said he believes Artest should miss several games, but not nearly as many as the league ordered.
The penalty, he said, doesn't match the action.
"Bottom line: The $5 million penalty levied against him is insane," Moore, 38, said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
The NBA players' union has appealed the suspensions of Artest and teammates Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O'Neal.
Moore said he has seen plenty of local support for Artest, but he hopes his site will reach like-minded basketball fans nationwide.
Moore, who said he works in sales for an Indianapolis-area company, didn't waste much time in establishing the site. He said he first met with the site's designer, Zionsville-based Lumasis, on Tuesday.
The site also sells "FreeRonArtest" T-shirts, which Moore said are being produced now and will be available for shipping by next week.
Moore said the site's design and content were in the early stages Wednesday. He said he hopes to add more content and touch on other issues, including the suspensions of Jackson and O'Neal.