When the Houston Rockets drafted forward Royce White in the 2012 NBA Draft, they knew that White was dealing with a lot of personal and mental problems. White has a fear of flying in airplanes, and also suffers from O.C.D. and anxiety. The team was prepared to help White overcome these problems so he could help with the rebuilding process that the Rockets have been working on for the past couple of years.
But things got sour between the two parties. White was missing mandatory team practices and events, and eventually started missing regular season games because of his issues. White used Twitter to vent about what he felt was unfair treatment from the team. The Rockets wanted to fine White for missing these events but he felt since he was suffering from mental problems that he should not be punished so harshly.
Through Twitter, White gained a lot of support and followers who heard about his problems. The problem for White was that he was really stirring up trouble for him and his team. White went from bashing one of the team doctors to apologizing to the doctor via Twitter in one night. White didn't want to use the doctor that the Rockets required him to see, but White did not realize that he was allowed to see his own doctor at the same time if he wanted to.
The issue has gotten so out of hand that White has threatened to quit the team for good and the Rockets are now planning to meet with him one-on-one. I think that both parties have to reach some sort of agreement about how to move on very soon. If White does not meet with the team doctor, the Rockets will not be able to keep track of his progress themselves. If he continues to make negative statements about the Rockets on Twitter, it will anger his teammates and executives who are focused on winning games. If the Rockets start fining White, they will be considered insensitive of the issue and will have plenty of bad publicity.
If the two sides can make peace and focus on getting White mentally healthy and ready to contribute to the team, they can turn this disastrous story into one with a happy ending.
I think the team should be able to fine White. I understand that he may have a "mental" condition, but at the end of the day, he signed a contract and is being paid to be at these events. Therefore, I think fining him is justified.
ReplyDeleteI think fining him is reasonable as well. Although his conditions are serious, both sides need to work towards an mutually acceptable solution.
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