Halifax Rainmen owner Andre Levingston slams decision to forfeit

The owner and president of the Halifax Rainmen has apologized after his team forfeited the NBL championship game against the Windsor Express last week, but says the team should have played that night.

Andre Levingston spoke to reporters on Monday in press conference that became confrontational towards the end as players and fans showed up and began to shoot their own questions at the owner. At one point a fan began to sob, saying she had travelled all the way to Windsor to see the team play in Game 7.

The Rainmen forfeited the game last Thursday following a scuffle between the two teams earlier in the day and the refusal by Halifax's coach and players to take the court. 

"I feel cheated," said Levingston. "I'm sure this will set us back some."

Players and coaches say Levingston tried to force them to play, despite their safety worries.

Levingston says he arranged for the team to sit down with their opponents to ease concerns. Windsor police also promised extra security, he said.

"Player safety has always been a priority," he said.

Head coach Josep Clarós refused to play. The players were asked to play without their coach, but they also refused.

"The players were misled," Levingston said.

Levingston says Clarós should have led team to championship, not a lifetime of controversy.

"It had all the ingredients to be a miracle year," he said. "This is extremely detrimental, and not just from an attendance stand point."

The Rainmen were issued a total of $90,000 in fines by the National Basketball League of Canada on Friday. Levingston says the players and coaches don't have a say in whether they play or not.

"This is an embarrassment. The most important game of the year didn't get played," he said.

He did say he takes responsibility for the Rainmen showing up too early for their scheduled 1 p.m. shootaround in Windsor, a move that prompted the fight between the two teams. But he said the issue could have been resolved if both sides sat down and talked.

Clarós and assistant coach Pedro Monteiro have been barred for life from coaching in the league.

Eleven players have been indefinitely suspended and fined $5,000 each for conduct detrimental to the league.

Levingston said there were players from the Windsor team that should have been suspended as well. As for the fines, he says he will not appeal them, nor will he appeal on behalf of the players. Levingston says it's up to the players to do that.

But players aren't happy. One of them asked Levingston why he didn't attend the players news conference on Saturday.

"What side are you on?" asked Joey Haywood, a guard with the Rainmen, adding he couldn't couldn't understand why the fines are so high.

"We've got families, it just wasn't a safe environment."

The news conference was shut down as more people started to move to the front of the room.

At one point Levingston put his arm around a sobbing woman who said she went to Windsor to see the game and felt let down.

Despite the controversy, Levingston vowed the team would return to Halifax next season.