What's the true story? Sam Mitchell's response to the Jalen Rose "Body Slam" story

Ok, ok...you know the Grantland video that made the rounds on the internet where Jalen Rose was telling the story about his time with the Toronto Raptors and how then-Raptors-star, Vince Carter and 2007 NBA Coach of the Year Sam Mitchell got into a wrestling tussle, WWE-style?  If not, let me refresh your memory: (video via The Grantland YouTube Channel)

Now...here in Canada, the boys on Sportsnet 590 The Fan, Tim Micallef and Sid Seixeiro had the former coach Sam Mitchell on their show this past Friday (check out the full audio here).  In true Sam Mitchell fashion, (and the Toronto media are already familiar) the former Raptors coach didn't hold back with his response to the Jalen Rose story.

"Consider the source. You know what blows my mind? And I don't attack people because I try to take the high road, but consider where it's coming from, where in this person's history are the things that he said true? You are talking about a person who played at a university whose record has been expunged. And for what? Lying and cheating. Right?"

Ohhhh snap.  Mitchell pulled no punches and took shots at Jalen Rose's alma mater right away and even added that Rose "never quite lived up to (his) potential as a player".  He continued on that if this altercation had actually happened in the locker room, the story would have come out to the media immediately, as opposed to years later.  Mitchell gave his side of the story, detailing that Carter bear hugged him from behind in the training room which caused him to stumble and fall onto a training table, nothing else, nothing more.  Just slightly different to Jalen's recollection of Vince Carter's 'Hulk Hogan-esque' slam of Mitchell. Oh, those Raptors memories.

Now, who has the right story?  Who knows....we might have to ask Morris Peterson aka MoPete to the Toronto faithful, he was there. We might need a "Storytelling with MoPete" sometime soon.

(Photo via CBC.ca)

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