【"metaphorically eroticize"】

We recently brought you the story of the strange war brewing between Sacramento Kings star DeMarcus Cousins and "metaphorically eroticize"his local paper, which culminated in the release of a video in which Cousins is seen hurling profanities at a local reporter.

The Kings announced Tuesday that Cousins has been fined. Meanwhile, Cousins released an apology -- to everyone butthe paper and the reporter he verbally attacked.

Before we go on, here's the background if you're just getting up to speed.

Andy Furillo, a columnist for The Sacramento Bee, recently wrote a column about an altercation Cousins and Kings teammate Matt Barnes are alleged to have gotten into at a New York City nightclub. In that column, Furillo mentioned in passing another nightclub altercation -- this one from last summer and leading to the arrest of Cousins' brother Jaleel, who is an NBA minor leaguer.

Furillo's mention of Jaleel was both minor and relevant. But Cousins was pissed. The Beethen took the unusual step this weekend of publishing video of Cousins berating local reporters trying to do their jobs. The video was a decidedly bad look for Cousins, who is among the NBA's best players. Take a look for yourself.

On Tuesday, the Kings announced that they "decided to impose a substantial fine" on Cousins for his behavior. They didn't specify the amount of that fine, but multiple reports from anonymous sources tabbed it at $50,000.

Cousins released a statement through the Kings the same day. It read:

There is a time, place and manner to say everything, and I chose the wrong ones. Like most people, I am fiercely protective of my friends and family, and I let my emotions get the best of me in this situation. I understand my actions were inexcusable and I commit to upholding the professional standards of the Kings and the NBA. I apologize to my teammates, fans and the Kings organization for my behavior and the ensuing distraction and look forward to moving on and focusing on basketball.

Now let's see here ... Cousins apologizes to his teammates. He apologizes to his fans. And he apologizes to the Kings. But he doesn'tapologize to the Bee, nor does apologize to Furillo. That's interesting.

Color us a bit skeptical that this story is over.

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