Now the NBA and NBPA are Brawling: In an update to this earlier post, arbitrator Roger Kaplan has ruled that he has jurisdiction to decide whether the brawl-related suspensions can be appealed to someone other than Commissioner Stern. Kaplan plans to hear the case next Thursday. The league, though, has responded by filing a lawsuit in federal court challenging the arbitrator's authority. The lawsuit contends that the NBPA and the players violated the collective bargaining agreement by taking the appeal to a grievance arbitrator. The union responds that it never agreed to "the spirit" of any rule that would give the commissioner such unchecked authority. The federal court will hold a hearing on the matter on Monday.

Posted in: