Houston Rockets ban fan for life for punching Pelicans’ assistant coach

A few nights ago, the Houston Rockets defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 126-123. The victory was the first of the season for the Houston Rockets.

Unfortunately, the action on the court wasn’t the only event in play on that fateful evening. According to authorities, a Houston Rockets fan, Manuel Garcia, was charged with assault for allegedly punching Pelicans assistant coach Joe Boylan in the face.

To make matters worse, Garcia’s girlfriend also got involved in an attempt to keep police from arresting him. As a result of his unwise actions, the Houston Rockets have decided to ban the fan from the arena for life.

The Pelicans organization has advised that they are aware of the incident but won’t offer any comments at this time. The motive for the Houston Rockets fan is unclear. What is a certainty is that authorities are going to do their best to get to the bottom of the matter and ensure both individuals are punished accordingly.

Sadly, a similar incident took place during the American League Championship Series. In that scenario, a Houston Astros fan was arrested for slapping a New York Yankees fan.

The common denominator between both incidents has to do with safety. An athlete or coach should be able to perform their jobs at the highest level without fear of being hurt. The same goes for a fan who may be rooting for the road team at a sporting event.

All in all, the Houston Rockets did the right thing by banning the fan from attending games. Whether the punishment will minimize future occurrences remains to be seen.

The unfortunate part about this is when people behave in such a manner, it is usually a lose-lose situation for everyone involved. With that being said, hats off to the Houston Rockets for taking the appropriate action. Here’s to hoping that every organization will have the same no tolerance policy when it comes to dealing with fans who cross the line.