David Stern's Feeling the Heat

Yesterday, during half-time of the NBA finals (the outcome of the game I'd rather not even talk about, thank you very much!), Commissioner David Stern announced that he would go back and re-interview the NBA officials so that he could then come back and tell us all again - as he declared, remarkably - that no, no, no, there hasn't been any cheating and fixing of games.

(I'm not making this up or embellishing upon it. Stern said this. I have now found the relevant transcript excerpt:

"I ... didn't think it was fair for them [NBA officials] to have to respond ... against the allegations by an admitted felon that somehow all or a large swath of NBA officials had engaged in illegal conduct. But I would just say ... we will go back and prospectively ask the questions of officials in effect again with respect of specific acts, even though they've all been interviewed, so that I could sit here in front of you, really on behalf of our officials, who don't engage with you on a regular basis, to say no, no, a thousand times no...")

So nice to know that the outcome of those interviews - unlike, of course, the games themselves - is predetermined!

(In looking at articles about Stern's press conference, I have not yet found anyone commenting on this remarkable statement by Stern. It's possible that someone's written about it, but I haven't seen it yet.)