Was Scuffle a Mistake? O’Neal Says ‘Maybe’

As the NBA wrestled with unique circumstances in trying to determine possible disciplinary action against Shaquille O’Neal, the Laker center said Sunday he realizes it was a mistake to scuffle with Utah’s Greg Ostertag two days earlier. Sort of.

“Maybe it was wrong and maybe it wasn’t wrong.” O’Neal said. “I want it to be over with. And it will be over with.”

League officials will decide how soon. Penalties, if any, probably will come today.

The extenuating details have made it a tough call. For starters, one player slapping another several hours before tipoff is new territory, so a ruling must come without benefit of precedence. Even more prominent, the NBA must consider the strained abdominal muscle that already cost O’Neal the opener--will he be suspended for a game he couldn’t have played in anyway?

O’Neal is scheduled to be examined today by team physician Dr. Steve Lombardo. It may, in the end, come down to league officials suspending O’Neal for Tuesday’s game at Sacramento after taking the Lakers’ word that he would have been healthy enough to play.

Such a move would cost O’Neal $156,794, in addition to any fines. But it would also allow him to play when the New York Knicks come to the Forum on Friday, far more of a concern than the financial implications.

It appears almost certain O’Neal will get no more than one game. He could escape with only a fine, but that would be a surprise considering the new zero-tolerance atmosphere Commissioner David Stern outlined to teams at the league meetings in September in hopes of cleaning up the NBA’s image.

Sunday, O’Neal didn’t sound worried at the possibility of a suspension. He did his best to downplay the episode, saying he has apologized to the appropriate parties and will issue a statement today as his final comment on the matter, and attributing his actions Friday to “testosterone.”

“Do I regret it?” O’Neal said. “I realize maybe I made a mistake, but I’m at peace with myself. I’m the type of person, I really like to move on.”