In the early hours of Saturday, Feb. 15, Darrell Armstrong, an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly hitting his girlfriend with a gun. The statement the basketball team put out in response was mostly impressive. It’s also instructive.

At first the information about the incident was sketchy enough that the AP report didn’t mention the victim’s gender. Police said their preliminary investigation determined that Armstrong, 56, and the unnamed victim were arguing when he hit “the victim” with a gun and threatened to shoot “the victim,” the AP reported. The victim was Armstrong’s girlfriend, according to Dallas TV station WFAA and The Dallas Morning News.

The sketchiness of the information limited what the Mavericks could say. That’s an important point: This kind of confusion is typical at the start of a crisis, especially an exploding, or quickly arising, one like this. The team didn’t exactly have any warning one of its assistant coaches would be busted. But equally important is that the team said something. And part of what it said was that it was still sorting out the facts. Even when a crisis hits and the facts are unclear, you can say something.

The statement the Mavericks sent out Sunday afternoon (okay, Saturday afternoon would have been better) was, according to WFAA:

‘Under Review’

“The Dallas Mavericks are aware of an incident involving a member of our staff and are gathering all relevant information surrounding the incident. We take this matter seriously. The employee has been placed on administrative suspension pending the outcome of legal proceedings. This matter is currently under review by the appropriate legal authorities. Due to this fact, we will allow the legal process to run its course and we will refrain from further comment while proceedings are ongoing.”

It’s unclear why the team felt it couldn’t name its staff member or say that he’d been arrested. That made for some awkward wording in news reports. Putting him on administrative leave was good in that it showed the team taking action. Whether it will be able to refrain from speaking further on the matter, as it said, remains to be seen.

‘Gathering Information’

Reporters also contacted the NBA for comment but the league didn’t yet have one. Obviously, as Armstrong’s employer, it was more urgent for the team to say something. “An NBA spokesperson said the league was in contact with the Mavericks and also in the process of gathering information,” the AP wrote.

Armstrong’s lawyer, Larry Taylor, did issue a statement Sunday, according to WFAA: “We are in the preliminary stages of conducting our own independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding yesterday’s incident involving my client Darrell Armstrong. Mr. Armstrong has been an upstanding member of the Dallas community during his playing days and as a coach. We will have more to say about this incident in the coming days.”

Photo Credit: Dallas Mavericks via Facebook

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