BOL Round Table

Here's more info:

"Chauncey Hardy was on the dance floor at a Romanian night club, partying with teammates hours after a victory over a rival team, when he playfully put his cap on a woman he wanted to dance with.

Onlookers, apparently one of which was the woman's boyfriend, and some with criminal ties, quickly objected. When confronted, Hardy motioned that he didn't understand Romanian.

And then this night of celebration, and this moment of confusion, ended with a fist smashing into Hardy's chin and Hardy's head hitting the floor as he fell. It ended in tragedy. Hardy, a former player at Sacred Heart University and Xavier High in Middletown, fell into a coma and died Sunday as a result of the injuries he sustained after undergoing surgery at a Bucharest hospital. He was 23.

The Associated Press and numerous international news agencies reported details of the incident, and that a man has been detained in the killing. Ionut Adrian Tanasoaia surrendered to police early Monday. The incident took place Saturday night in the country's southern city of Giurgiu, where Hardy played professionally for CSS Giurgiu.

Mediafax news agency reported that Tanasoaia attacked Hardy because he wanted to dance with his girlfriend. Hotnews.ro, a Romanian news site, reports that those involved in the beating have local mob ties."

A player can have a nice life overseas, but there are things to keep in mind...

1. In many places English isn't spoken, and you easily can get yourself into a tight spot since you likely won't know the local language. Especially true in a place like a bar. Some teams hire interpreters to accompany star American players. Cultural differences abound.
2. Crime, especially organized crime, is rampant in some places, especially the old Soviet Bloc countries.
3. Medical care may be substandard.
4. Police and judicial corruption are rampant.
5. No one will care that you are/were a star basketball player in the US, or for the local team. The fact that you're a basketball star won't bail you out when you get into a jam.
6. African-Americans, especially in the old Soviet Bloc countries, are more likely to run into more open, hostile, in-your-face racism than here.
7. The U.S. Constitution does not apply.

Those are my observations from living overseas and knowing American basketball players overseas