Miami Heat young striker Caleb Martin He said he called the Toronto Raptors forward Christian Koloko To apologize and promise him a future dinner after their fight on Saturday.
Martin was suspended by the NBA in Monday’s game, the Heat’s 98-90 loss, after the league determined he was the instigator in the brawl that extended to the baseline seats near the Miami bench two nights ago.
Martin said he accepted his penalty, and said his only problem with the penalties handed out during the game and from the league on Sunday was that Koloko paid a heavy price.
“I don’t think Christian should have been sent off or sent off in any way,” Martin said on Monday. “He did what he had to do.”
Warning sirens were sounded for both Martin and Koloko due to technical errors and they were removed from Saturday’s match. Koloko was fined $15,000 for holding Martin during the melee.
heat starter Nikola Jovicwho was found to have left the bench area during the incident, was also suspended for Monday’s game.
Martin made a foul on Koloko while the two were jostling for a position on a rebound early in the third quarter, as the rookie Raptors ended up on the ground. Martin walked toward him, Colocco bounced back quickly, nerves flared, and then Martin drove Colocco back into the seats—the ones that bore the brunt of the impact no fan had at the time. There were some fans in the nearby seats who had some contact with the scrum participants.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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