NBA commissioner Adam Silver: Sterling Brown arrest video 'horrific'

Jeff Zillgitt | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Adam Silver addresses the NBA's burning topics NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the media before Game 1 of the NBA Finals to discuss a number of topics including league parity, the national anthem policy and the controversy surrounding Bryan Colangelo.

OAKLAND — NBA commissioner Adam Silver called the police video involving Milwaukee Bucks rookie Sterling Brown “horrific” and said “it’s a reality in our country right now that there’s a disconnect between young people of color and police officers.”

Silver said he has been in contact with Brown, who was Tased by police in January, and Brown’s father, Chris, who was a Chicago police officer for 30 years.

Last week, Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales said officers “acted inappropriately” during the incident with Brown, who was thrown to the ground and Tased over a parking violation in a Walgreens parking lot.

Multiple officers were disciplined after body cam video showed police were confrontational and Brown appears to offer little resistance. Police said Brown was aggressive.

“I think for any of us, regardless of the fact that he’s an NBA player, it was difficult to watch. It’s painful,” Silver said. “I will say that as a result of whether it’s police officers wearing cameras on their body, the transparency that the Internet now provides through that sort of distribution, I think in my sense it’s not necessarily the case that society has changed in the last few years.

“It’s that now that in a very positive way, people like me who aren’t subjected, frankly, to that kind of treatment, are becoming much more aware of how a certain part of our society views law enforcement and their interactions with law enforcement.”

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