Celts' Telfair denies role in shooting of Fabolous

Rod_Torfulson · October 2006

Updated: Oct. 20, 2006, 7:08 PM ETESPN.com news servicesBoston Celtics guard Sebastian Telfair denied Friday that he is under investigation for the shooting of rapper Skylar John Jackson -- also known as Fabolous -- but the police are singing a different tune.Telfair"I wasn't being investigated for any shooting," Telfair told reporters on Friday at the Celtics' practice facility in Waltham, Mass. "My necklace was snatched from my neck." However, the New York police say Telfair is being investigated."We're investigating whether there's a connection between the reported robbery and the shooting," New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne told The Associated Press earlier this week.The 21-year-old Telfair had a $50,000 chain ripped off his neck early Tuesday morning outside Justin's, a Manhattan club owned by hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs. Twenty minutes later, Jackson, 28, was shot and wounded in the left thigh outside of the club. The New York Daily News reported that surveillance video captured two members of Fabolous' entourage robbing Telfair. The paper's sources claim Telfair saw the men inside the club and made a cell phone call. The security camera reportedly captured the shooter leaving in a grey car. According to Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg, several witnesses heard gunshots outside the East 22nd Street restaurant at about 12:30 a.m. There were a number of calls to 911, and one witness took down the make and license plate of a sport utility vehicle leaving the scene, she said.After the incident, four men, including Fabolous, were arrested and charged with having unregistered, loaded weapons in their SUV.Telfair left Tuesday night's Celtics game against the Knicks after halftime to view lineups, which contained Fabolous and members of his entourage. The 21-year-old Telfair was unable to identify the suspect. "I was in an unfortunate situation, if you want to say I'm a bad person because I was out with my fiance, then that's what it is. I know who I am, my teammates and this organization know who I am," Telfair told reporters. Celtics Coach Doc Rivers said Telfair is getting a bad rap. "He didn't do anything. His name is in a bad circle. The same thing could happen to you or me," Rivers said. "I don't know how you stay out of this. I mean, he should be able to go to dinner. Sebastian's character will show he's a good guy."Last February, the Trail Blazers, who traded Telfair this offseason, fined him after a loaded gun was found on the team's private jet at Boston's Logan Airport. The handgun was found in a pillowcase belonging to Telfair as the team plane was being prepared for a flight from Boston to Toronto. Telfair explained to local authorities that the gun belonged to his girlfriend and that he had inadvertently grabbed the wrong bag when leaving for the team's road trip. The gun was registered in Oregon to Samantha Rodriguez, Telfair's girlfriend of five years at that time. No charges were filed. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.