On Tuesday morning, Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle addressed the team’s $100,000 fine for violating the NBA’s Player Participation Policy during his weekly radio show on 107.5 The Fan with Kevin Bowen and James Boyd.
The fine stemmed from Indiana resting multiple key players in a matchup against a shorthanded Utah Jazz three weeks ago, after the Jazz had completed a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies to acquire Jaren Jackson Jr.
Following Carlisle’s initial comments on the matter, the story quickly gained traction across major basketball outlets. In response, the league issued a statement defending its investigation.
A league spokesperson told multiple reporters:
“Coach Carlisle’s description of the process that went into the decision to fine the Indiana Pacers is inaccurate. An independent physician led the medical review. In addition, the Pacers’ General Manager and the team’s Senior Vice President, Sports Medicine and Performance were interviewed as part of the process. The Pacers confirmed that it had provided all of the information requested by the league and the team reported that an interview with Coach Carlisle or a team physician wasn’t necessary.”
NBA Spokesperson on Carlisle's Comments
The statement was released roughly an hour before Carlisle was scheduled to meet with the media ahead of Indiana’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Tony East of Forbes asked Carlisle if he had a response to the league’s remarks.
“My number one fixation is player health,” Carlisle said. “I have a long history of concern for this going back to all of my head coaching. One of the jobs of the head coach is to manage player health. The Aaron Nesmith situation was bothersome to me. It really was bothersome to him. I don’t want to belabor this. It’s time to move on. It’s time to move forward. But player health — and you’ve got a guy like that who has missed a lot of games over the last two years, and one reason is because he goes so hard and because he goes so hard for our organization — I just felt it’s important to support him and support the organization. I’ll leave it at that.”
Rick Carlisle in pregame media
Rick Carlisle’s on the NBA’s statement on the fine in pregame media:
“The Aaron Nesmith situation was bothersome, and it was really bothersome to him. I don’t want to belabor this, it’s time to move on, it’s time to move forward.”
Question by @TonyREast pic.twitter.com/Ct3T13wJJX
— Alex Golden (@AlexGoldenNBA) February 24, 2026
After a brief pause, Carlisle added that he was finished answering questions about the situation.
Understandably, the league is standing behind its investigative process, while the Pacers are emphasizing their commitment to player health.
You can follow me on X @AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast, Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.