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Direct Examination: Frank Underwood

1. Could you state your name for the record, please?


R: Frank Underwood
2. What is your current position with the NBA?
R: Im a center for the Washington Wizards.
3. How long have you been with the Wizards?
R: Since 1992.
4. Have you played for any other teams?
R: No, I have only played for the Wizards since entering the
NBA as a result of the draft.
5. Is it safe to say Coach Walker has been the only coach
youve had throughout your time with the NBA?
R: Yes.
6. Did you ever have problems with Coach Walker?
R: Not until the date of the altercation at hand.
7. Do you know why Coach Walker would consider you a
waste of talent?
R: No, I do not.
8. Did you know he was in discussions to trade you at the
time of the altercation?
R: No, I did not.
9. Do you recall at what time you arrived to the Verizon
Center on February 29, 2016?
R: I arrived at approximately at 7:30 a.m.
10.

Did you always arrive at that time on game days?

R: Yes, I arrive early to lift weights and shoot around.


11.
Did you see Coach Walker when you arrived?
R: No, I did not.
12.
What did you do upon your arrival?
R: As I was practicing my free throw, I plugged in my
iPhone into the stereo system on the court and turned up the
volume.
13.
Did you always do this?
R: Yes, I like to practice while listening to music.
14.
Did anyone have a problem with the music?
R: Well, only Coach Walker. He stormed into the practice
court yelling at me.
15.
Did he ask you to turn the music down?
R: No, he came yelling at me.
16.
What did he say?
R: Once one of his assistants turned off the music, I heard
him call me a disrespectful piece of [expletive].
17.
How did you react to this insult?
R: I didnt react. I was VERY surprised as I never had
problems with him.
18.
Did you respond to him in any way?
R: When he continued to insult me and jam his finger in my
face, I began shouting back.
19.

What else did he say?

R: He continued yelling at me and he said I was nothing


but a piece of garbage and that I would never see playing time as
long as he was coach.
20.
How did you respond to that comment?
R: I became enraged because that meant I would lose the
possibility of receiving a $2 million bonus if I scored 100 more
points during the season.
21.
That is understandable. I mean, thats a lot of
money. What did you do next?
R: I am not proud of it, but I lost it. I jumped on top of him
and began to choke him.
22.
Do you know how long you were on top of him?
R: I cannot say for sure but we were quickly separated by
two players, Peter Russo and Edward Meechum.
23.
What happened when they separated you two?
R: Russo and Meechum took be back to the locker room to
calm down.
24.
What happened in the locker room?
R: I sat down and began to drink a Gatorade.
25.
Did you return to practice?
R: No, I stayed in the locker room.
26.
Did you see Coach Walker again?
R: Yes. He stormed into the locker room while I was
drinking my Gatorade.
27.
Did you confront him?
R: No, in fact I took THREE STEPS BACK to avoid
another confrontation with him. I really did not want to argue.

28.
Did he approach you?
R: No, he went directly to my locker and began throwing all
my clothes and personal items on the floor. He even stomped all
over my suit.
29.
Did he say anything to you?
R: He yelled that I needed to leave the facility immediately
and that I was finished and would never play in the NBA ever
again.
30.
What do you think he meant by finished?
R: He fired me. I was no longer a player.
31.
What did you do next?
R: I packed up my things into a duffel bag.
32.
Did you leave the building?
R: As I was packing my things, Assistant Coach Lucas
Goodwin told me I had to vacate the premises.
33.
Did he escort you out?
R: No. He told me I had to submit to a drug test because I
had been randomly selected by the NBA that morning to be
tested.
34.
So he told you you had to leave the premises but yet
you had to stay for to be drug tested?
R: Yes. He told me I could wait near the back entrance until
the drug testing collector arrived.
35.
Did you wait?
R: No. I told him that Coach Walker told me I was finished.
I collected the remainder of my belongings, walked to the parking
lot, got into my car and left the facility.

36.
Did Goodwin see you leave the facilities?
R: I believe so.
37.
Did you receive a call about returning to the
facilities?
R: After I left the facilities, I realized I did not have my
cellphone.
38.
Who had your cellphone?
R: I later found out that Goodwin had my cellphone.
39.
How did Goodwin end up with your cellphone?
R: It seems he picked it up from the practice court.
40.
What happened on March 3, 2016?
R: I met with NBA Commissioner Edward Gilmore.
41.
What happened during that meeting?
R: I apologized for my actions. Most importantly, for laying
a hand on Coach Walker.
42.
What did Commissioner Gilmore tell you?
R: He said the league was finalizing its investigation and
that I would be informed of its disciplinary actions in the coming
days.
43.
What disciplined was imposed?
R: Commissioner Gilmore informed me that the league had
decided to dismiss and disqualify me for at least 260 games and
that my contract with the Wizards was rendered null and void.
44.
How long is that?
R: More than 3 years.
45.

Were you disqualified due to the altercation?

R: I was dismissed and disqualified for a minimum of two


years for ALLEGEDLY violating the Anti-Drug Policy and an
additional 96 games for the altercation since they allege it is
conduct prejudicial or detrimental to the Association.
46.
How did you allegedly violate the Anti Drug Policy?
R: By refusing and leaving the practice facility without
submitting a sample for testing.
47.
Why did you refuse?
R: I did not refuse. Coach Walker fired me and told me to
leave the premises so I did as I was told.
48.
But didnt Goodwin tell you you needed to be
tested?
R: Yes, but I explained that I had been fired. He also told me
I had to vacate the premises and he did not stop me from leaving
the facility.
49.
If you thought you could stay on the premises,
would you have submitted a sample for testing?
R: Absolutely. I had no reason not to submit a sample. I just
thought I had to leave the premises immediately and I did not
want to have any other problems with Coach Walker.
50.
Have you spoken with Coach Walker since the
altercation?
R: I reached out to him on several occasions to apologize,
but he refused to take my calls.
51.
Have you ever been in an altercation with another
player?
R: Yes, I have been in altercations in the past.
52.

Were you ever disciplined for these altercations?

R: No, I was not.


53.
Were the other players disciplined?
R: They might have been. I am not aware.

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