2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl

Both teams had previously appeared in the NBL Canada Finals, with the Windsor Express defeating the Island Storm in seven games in the previous season. The Halifax Rainmen appeared in the 2012 Finals, which was played in a best-of-five format, but dropped three games and lost to the London Lightning. Halifax finished the 2014–15 regular season as the Atlantic Division champions and had the second-best record in the league, behind only the Central Division winners, the Express. The Rainmen reached the 2015 finals via wins over the Moncton Miracles and Island Storm, 3–1 and 4–1 respectively; Windsor's route was through victories over Mississauga Power, by 3–1, and the Brampton A's, by 4–3. == Series ==

The Rainmen entered the Finals series without playing a single game in 16 days and were defeated by Windsor in Game 1, 113–104. Chris Commons led the Express with 33 points and 8 rebounds and Tony Bennett added 25 points. Halifax struggled with fouls in the first quarter, and point guard Cliff Clinkscales most notably committed three fouls in the first 12 minutes of the game. He would finish the contest with six penalties. By the end of the game, seven Rainmen players had committed over three personal fouls and the team totaled for 48, allowing Windsor to get 55 free throw attempts. The Express, on the other hand, finished with 32 personal fouls. In the fourth quarter, Halifax's Liam McMorrow took a hard fall to his shoulder and was taken off the court with a stretcher. He would undergo a CT scan and MRI after feeling tingling in the injured area. shoots a free throw for the Rainmen. Halifax rallied in Game 2, winning a road game at the WFCU Centre in Windsor. The Rainmen committed 37 personal fouls in the entire game, but their opponents allowed them to attempt 44 free throws despite committing only 31. The Rainmen followed up by ousting the Express in Game 3 at the Scotiabank Centre, their home arena. They were strongly benefited by their accurate free throw shooting, going 28 of 33 from the line; previously, Halifax shot at about .600 on free throws. However, Windsor tied the series back up with a 109–105 road win in a foul-filled Game 4. A total of 71 fouls were called throughout the contest, and Seiya Ando, Kevin Young, and Liam McMorrow were fouled out for the Rainmen in the final quarter. In turn, both teams often exchanged trash-talk and officials were forced to separate members of the opposing sides on multiple occasions. Halifax started off Game 5 at home on a low note, with Liam McMorrow committing four personal fouls in the first three minutes. Nevertheless, Halifax pulled away with the 125–91 victory, putting them one win away from the title. Rainmen forward Forrest Fisher complained about Windsor, "They're playing very physical, and at times a little bit dirty with sucker punches, and we started playing into their game (Friday) and that's not us. A couple of us can play like that, myself included, and we came out tonight and I told them 'hey, let me take the hits, I'm used to that. You guys play your normal game.' We play the way we play, and it doesn't matter how they play." According to The Chronicle Herald, "the game featured several incidents that threatened to escalate into a full-scale brawl." Quinnel Brown led the way for Windsor with 30 points, 16 of them off free throws. He commented on the officiating, "It's ridiculous for a final of a professional league in Canada." == Incident ==

Altercation , the site of the brawl. The deciding Game 7 of the 2015 Finals was scheduled to be played at 7:00pm on April 30, 2015, at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario. The Express shootaround was set to take place before that of the Rainmen. The road team was supposed to arrive for warm-ups at approximately 1:00pm, but entered the stadium approximately two hours earlier. According to Rainmen player Forrest Fisher, Jones tackled McMorrow to the ground and Express guard Tony Bennett followed up by hitting McMorrow with a chair. Referring to the Rainmen, Jones said, "A couple of them kicked me and tried to take swings at me. And my players were there and they came to my rescue to be able to get me up." At around 10:40am, Windsor police received a phone call "that between 15 to 20 men were involved in an altercation." By the time they arrived at the WFCU Centre, however, the fighting was over and the Rainmen players had already reached their team bus. By the end of the night, Windsor were declared the NBL Canada champions. Shortly before the scheduled start time, the Rainmen said in an official statement, "Due to a physical altercation between the Halifax Rainmen and the Windsor Express, the game has been cancelled citing safety concerns." At around 9:00pm, the Express were awarded the championship trophy and conducted their post-game celebrations. == Reaction ==

tried to convince his players to compete. In the weeks after the forfeit, Rainmen guard Joey Haywood recounted that the team had been approached by an unknown man at their hotel following the brawl. Haywood said, "He was pacing around the lobby on his phone eyeing us. He then went to the ATM but didn't actually do anything. He went and sat in a parked car out front. We thought something was going to go down, like he was scouting us out." The Rainmen promptly left on the team bus, and it was considered a motive for forfeiting the game. The team management, who were responsible for players' living arrangements, were largely blamed for the affair. Members from the Rainmen profusely criticized the brutality of the Express throughout the series as well. Kevin Young was told by some of the Windsor players that their coach had told them to "take out" him, Liam McMorrow and Fisher. Levingston, on the other hand, slammed Clarós, saying that "instead of leading our team to the championship, he led a group of talented players to broken contracts and a lifetime of controversy." The owner claimed that he felt cheated and that the players were misled by their coaches. Eric Crookshank, who had his jersey retired while playing for Halifax, said that the prospect of having the organization fold was "sad." He also said, "If what these players are saying is true it’s very hurtful to me. It sickening to my stomach that the players say they didn't get paid or they got kicked out of their living arrangements." He also condemned Levingston for not standing up for his players. == Investigation and charges ==

In the day after the forfeit, the NBL Canada announced, "The league takes this incident very seriously and we are working to address the matter to ensure it never happens in the future, and so that those who were responsible are held accountable." Magley also said that he would consider assuming the position of commissioner if he was approached, succeeding Paul Riley, who was fired in January 2015. On May 1, 2015, the league's Board unanimously approved of several charges for players and coaches from the Rainmen. The organization as a whole was fined $20,000 per league rules, head coach Josep Clarós was fined $10,000 and assistant coach Pedro Monteiro was fined $5,000. Both coaches received lifetime bans from the NBL Canada as well. In a statement on May 11, he said, "I am looking for help to fight these unjust sanctions and fines so I can continue to work and be able to support my family. The investigation was not full. The truth of what happened is being ignored. I have not been contacted by any league representative." For the Express, head coach Bill Jones faced a one-year suspension that would bar him from directing his team in the 2015–16 season. He also received a $4,000 fine with Monteiro. The coach accepted responsibility for his role in the incident. Windsor guard Tony Bennett faced an indefinite suspension from the league during the investigation. However, Express owner Dartis Willis claimed that the investigation was "botched," == Aftermath ==

(right) was signed by the Halifax Hurricanes and reinstated. By late August 2015, it became a strong possibility that a new NBL Canada team would be created in Halifax for the 2015–16 season. A new ownership group, led by former Rainmen advisor and CEO of Corporate Research Associates in Don Mills, soon confirmed that the defunct team's reincarnation would compete for the next season. Mills expected a group of 25 shareholders to help start up the organization, many of whom personally paid for the Rainmen's flights and hotels in the last season. He chose to not include Levingston in the ownership group but allowed him to assume the position as the team's general manager. The Hurricanes also signed Cliff Clinkscales and Mike Glover as its first players and hired Hugo López as head coach. Mills aimed for lower ticket prices at the team's games. For the Express, head coach Bill Jones was replaced by his brother Tony Jones, who assumed the position of interim head coach until February 20, 2016. Bill said, "What happened in that Game 7 was not Bill Jones. It happened in the heat of the moment and is something I'll probably regret for the rest of my life." Magley said that his concern with the future of the Express organization helped him make the decision to reinstate Jones, who he believed would help the team's fan support grow. On March 11, 2016, Rainmen player Tyrone Watson was also reinstated to the league after paying his $5,000 fine and receiving a unanimous vote. Joey Haywood would also return in the following season. == See also ==