Sam Amick

USA TODAY Sports

Michele Roberts is taking aim at the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver.

Again.

In a memo to players obtained by USA TODAY Sports, the new National Basketball Player Association executive director explained her strong statement made on Thursday against the league's decision to suspend Charlotte Hornets forward Jeffery Taylor 24 games after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence assault and malicious destruction of hotel property stemming from an incident in East Lansing, Mich., in late September.

"Despite having agreed to join the Players Association in focusing attention on 'prevention' rather than trying to out-muscle the NFL on 'discipline,' the NBA elected to prove its toughness by imposing a 24-game suspension on Jeff Taylor," Roberts wrote in the memo. "Up until yesterday's announcement, we had been working with the League to undergo a sober review of our current policies and practices to improve the services available to the NBA family in this area. However, I am disappointed that, as reflected in the sanction imposed against Jeff, the League instead chose to bend to the pressure it feels from the current media spotlight and impose punishment well beyond what is contained in the current CBA or in line with existing precedent."

The NFL has been front and center on the domestic violence front since mid-February, when video surfaced of former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Rice punching his then-fiance while inside an elevator. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Rice indefinitely on Sept. 8.

Despite having just begun her tenure in late September, this is hardly the first time Roberts has been outspoken about her views and how they differ from those of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. She was highly critical of the NBA's current salary cap system and the concept of maximum-salary contracts in an interview with ESPN earlier this month, not long after she had called into question comments Silver had recently made about a third of the league's 30 teams still not being profitable in an interview with Yahoo! Sports.

Roberts' public statement on the Taylor decision was, true to her early form, incredibly candid.

"The CBA contemplates a minimum 10-game suspension in any case involving a conviction for a violent felony, including domestic violence," Roberts said in her statement. "In contrast, Jeff Taylor was charged with a misdemeanor that is likely to be dismissed at the end of a probationary period. The 24-game suspension is one of the longest in the history of the league.

"We have a scheme of discipline that was the result of collective bargaining between the parties that has been applied consistently over the years. While we appreciate the sensitivity of this societal issue, the Commissioner is not entitled to rewrite the rules or otherwise ignore precedent in disciplinary matters. While ultimately this is Jeff's decision, we stand ready to file an immediate appeal on his behalf."

Silver, who has the broad authority to make such a ruling based on the collectively-bargained agreement between players and owners, explained his decision in great detail after the ruling was made.

"Mr. Taylor's conduct violates applicable law and, in my opinion, does not conform to standards of morality and is prejudicial and detrimental to the NBA," Silver said. "While the suspension is significantly longer than prior suspensions for incidents of domestic violence by NBA players, it is appropriate in light of Mr. Taylor's conduct, the need to deter similar conduct going forward, and the evolving social consensus — with which we fully concur — that professional sports leagues like the NBA must respond to such incidents in a more rigorous way."