The Malice at The Palace

The Malice at The Palace is one of four names given to the on-court altercation at a NBA game between the Detroit Pistons and their arch-rivals, the Indiana Pacers on November 19, 2004 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan which spread into the stands. This disturbance has led to serious repercussions for those involved from both the NBA and the legal authorities. This incident is also known as The Basket Brawl, The Palace Brawl and The Motown Melee.

Similar incidents occurring the same week

The day after the fight at The Palace, November 20, there were two fights between players in a college football game between the University of South Carolina and Clemson University—one before the game, and a massive 10-minute scrum during the 4th quarter in which state troopers had to get involved, but no fans got entered the field. After the teams were separated, some South Carolina players began fighting each other. Though not directly related to what happened in Detroit the night before, Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden, son of Florida State University head coach Bobby Bowden, said his players had stayed up the night before, watching what had happened in Detroit. There are still questions as to if the two fights were somewhat inspired by the Detroit brawl. To make matters worse, the fights overshadowed the last game Lou Holtz participated in as South Carolina head coach, as he retired at the end of the season, and handed the coaching reins to Steve Spurrier. Clemson won the game 29-7.

Related Topics:
November 20 - College football - University of South Carolina - Clemson University - State troopers - Tommy Bowden - Florida State University - Bobby Bowden - Lou Holtz - Steve Spurrier

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The Atlantic Coast Conference, the conference Clemson plays in, and the Southeastern Conference, the conference South Carolina plays in, reviewed the tapes of both incidents before handing out proper punishments to players. However, both schools imposed a punishment of their own on November 22, by saying they would reject any invitation to a bowl game because of the fights. The SEC and ACC suspended six players from each school for their first games of the 2005-2006 season.

Related Topics:
Atlantic Coast Conference - Southeastern Conference - November 22 - Bowl game

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iFilm has a video of the USC-Clemson fight.

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