While Rajon Rondo is currently serving his four-game suspension for his involvement in the Lakers-Rockets brawl this past Saturday, he spoke to ESPNto express his feelings regarding the altercation.
Rondo believes the body language he exhibited during the altercation exonerates him from any claim of intentionally spitting on Chris Paul. "Look at my body language," he said. He then cited players Eric Gordon and Carmelo Anthony, stating, "If they saw me spit, they would have turned their face up or something. They had no reaction." In response to the video which depicts Rondo letting spit fly, Rondo suspects foul play, as he believes they are "tricks" or "mind games," and someone may be "tampering with the evidence."
Rondo goes on to accuse Paul of being on the receiving end of favorable league bias, which is the reason why Paul was suspended for one less game than Rondo. "Everyone wants to believe Chris Paul is a good guy. They don't know he's a horrible teammate." Rondo questions this positive perception, citing an earlier incident in which Paul attempted to escalate an altercation with his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers. "Look at what he did last year when he was in L.A.; trying to get to the Clippers' locker room. They don't want to believe he's capable of taunting and igniting an incident," he added.
Saturday's brawl between the two teams involved Paul, Rondo, and Rondo's teammate Brandon Ingram, who was suspended four games.
Ultimately, Rondo is looking for accountability in this matter, as he believes the situation is "bigger than basketball... trying to blame me without being accountable for anything he did to provoke the situation."
Rondo will be making his return this Friday against the Clippers.
