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AAP
Jasper Bruce and Murray Wenzel

NBL back tribunal as Bullets lament Baynes hearing

Brisbane have chosen not to appeal Aron Baynes' ban, with the NBL backing its tribunal system. (Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS)

The NBL is standing by its tribunal system as the Brisbane Bullets lament losing Aron Baynes to a hefty five-match suspension.

Following a series of incidents in the round-two loss to Cairns, the NBL's one-man tribunal found the 576-game NBA veteran guilty of excessive disputing, unsportsmanlike conduct and an abnormal or unacceptable act.

Baynes aggressively approached the referees after Lat Mayen elbowed him in the neck contesting a rebound and then bumped the Taipans forward as the teams left for halftime.

The Bullets have since made changes to the tunnel configuration at Nissan Arena so that the two teams will no longer be required to leave the floor through the same exit at the same time.

At halftime, Baynes and Cairns coach Adam Forde had a physical confrontation in the tunnel, which contributed three matches of the centre's ban.

CCTV footage was leaked online late Saturday and shows Forde instigating the clash before Baynes escalates things by shoving him into a wall.

"The breach of security is disheartening," the NBL said of the leak.

"It is of utmost importance Netball Queensland, the operators of the stadium, address the matter promptly.

"The unauthorised release of confidential footage compromises the privacy of those involved and raises significant issues for the league and its players, coaches and staff."

Forde was not sanctioned for his role in the incident and in a statement released after Baynes' hearing, maintained he did nothing wrong.

Privately, Brisbane are dissatisfied with the one-person tribunal system, feeling a bigger panel would encourage healthy debate as to a player's possible sanction.

The club accepts Baynes' actions were off the mark but feels the legal professional working as the tribunal member did not consider that the game-day report had ascribed some of the blame for the incident to Forde, who provoked Baynes.

Aaron Baynes.
Aron Baynes is currently serving a five-game NBL ban for incidents in the recent clash with Cairns.

A neutral party, the NBL match-day manager who wrote the game-day report was the only eyewitness to the entire incident.

Extra video footage that showed Forde loitering in the corridor outside the locker rooms before the confrontation was also not aired at the hearing.

Despite the Bullets' grievances, the NBL will not revise its disciplinary process, which is based loosely on the AFL's match review system.

As in the AFL, a game review panel comprising a NBL official, ex-referee and ex-player monitors each match.

The panel has the power to refer serious offences, or those not adequately covered by the GRP's set list of punishments, to a one-person tribunal.

Adam Forde.
Cairns coach Adam Forde has avoided punishment for his involvement in the incident with Aron Baynes.

The GRP reviewed full CCTV footage of the incident and the game-day report before determining Forde had no case to answer, hence the tribunal focusing more closely on Baynes' role in the incident.

AAP understands the NBL is satisfied with the tribunal's performance in the Baynes matter and with the current system generally, which was implemented when Larry Kestleman purchased a majority stake in the league in 2015.

Since then, there have been 16 tribunal hearings, only three of which have gone to a three-member tribunal on appeal.

Brisbane seriously considered lodging an appeal, likely to have Baynes' one-match ban for bumping into Mayen downgraded to a fine. 

But they felt it was in the interest of all to move on from the incident as quickly as possible. 

The Bullets board made the 11th-hour request that media be barred from attending the tribunal session via video-link, concerned over the sensitivity of the physical confrontation.

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