Cuttino Mobley sues the New York Knicks over forced retirement – NBA Update
Former NBA star Cuttino Mobley has filed a lawsuit against the New York Knicks. The guard, who started his NBA career with the Houston Rockets, is contending that the Madison Square Garden franchise forced him to resign as a way
to save approximately $19 million.
Cuttino said farewell to the game back in 2008 after being traded to the Knicks. He had some known heart issues when making the move, and afterwards it was learnt that the player suffers from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The heart
disease is a major cause of cardiac arrest among individuals below the age of thirty, and at least one former NBA professional has died because of it.
When the doctors diagnosed Mobley with the disease, and advised him not to continue his playing career, the guard called it a day and hung up his boots. The Knicks had made the trade for him by waving the physical requirement and
once he was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; his retirement meant that they created considerable salary cap space.
Knicks benefited by having money to spend on other players later on, while Cuttino’s contract was covered by insurance, saving them around $19 million in total.
Now Cuttino and his lawyer are contending that New York knew of his condition all along and used him as a ploy to create salary cap room and avoid the luxury tax. New York knowingly sent Mobley to see specialists who advised him
to retire.
Mobley’s career was thus ended and he never played at the Madison Square Garden in a Knicks shirt. According to his lawyer, the New York franchise was responsible for causing their former player irreparable mental agony, humiliation
and distress.
The Knicks have vehemently denied said charges and appear confident that they would be dismissed by the court.
"When the Knicks obtained Cuttino in November of 2008, the team fully expected him to be our starting shooting guard. It was a significant set-back to our team when we learned he would not be able to play following initial reports
from his physical," the Knicks said in a statement.
"The team and Cuttino agreed he would then see top experts, including doctors at Tufts Medical Center in Boston and additional experts, for various opinions. On the day of his retirement, Cuttino publicly stated that he had no
choice but to follow the advice of the doctors and step away from the league. We are confident Cuttino's claims have no merit and will not prevail."
Mobley represented 4 NBA franchises apart from the Knicks in a career that began in 1998. He averaged around 16 points per game during his time in the NBA.
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