Thabo Sefolosha says his broken leg was caused by the police. (Photo: Craig Ruttle, AP) 
 
 Wearing a walking boot on his right foot and using crutches, Atlanta Hawks guard Thabo Sefolosha read a statement and said New York City police were responsible for his broken right fibula and ligament damage. 
 
 "I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude to my family and friends, the Hawks organization and my teammates," Sefolosha said. "This has been a difficult time for me and I truly appreciate the support I have received from everyone. I am extremely disappointed that I will not be able to join my teammates on the court during the playoffs and apologize to them for any distraction this incident has caused. I will be cheering for them every step of the way and will be diligent in my rehabilitation. 
 
 "On advice of counsel, I hope you can appreciate that I cannot discuss the facts of the case. Those questions will be answered by my attorney in a court of law. I will simply say that I am in great pain, have experienced a significant injury and that the injury was caused by the police." 
 
 Sefolosha sustained the injuries outside a New York nightclub in an early-morning incident in which Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland suffered knife wounds to the abdomen and elbow. 
 
 Sefolosha and teammate Pero Antic were both arrested. Sefolosha was charged with resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and disorderly conduct, and Antic was charged with obstructing governmental administration, menacing and disorderly conduct. 
 
 Sefolosha refused multiple orders to disperse, charged an officer, resisted arrest by tightening and flailing his arms and it required multiple officers to handcuff Sefolosha, according to the arrest report. 
 
 Last week, the National Basketball Players Association and the NBA released statements saying they wanted to learn more about the incident, and the NBPA on Tuesday said, "We are still investigating the events and are working closely with Sefolosha's legal team to gather and analyze information on a daily basis." 
 
 Sefolosha, a key part of Atlanta's franchise-best 60-win season, will miss the postseason because of the injuries. 
 
 Videos posted on TMZ.com last week show several police officers trying to restrain Sefolosha. In one video, he is taken to the ground, and an officer can be seen swinging a baton at Sefolosha. It's unclear from the video whether the officer struck Sefolosha. Sefolosha declined to say if the baton struck him but told reporters, "The video speaks for itself." 
 
 Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt. ||||| The Internal Affairs bureau of the New York City Police Department has contacted counsel for Thabo Sefolosha about interviewing the Hawks forward as a complaining witness in a police incident last week, sources told ESPN.com. 
 
 Sefolosha was arrested early Wednesday morning at the corner of 10th Avenue and West 17th Street in Manhattan's Chelsea district. The police report filed by officer Johnpaul Giacona of the 10th Precinct said that Sefolosha was interfering with the establishment of a crime scene in front of 1Oak nightclub, where Pacers forward Chris Copeland was stabbed in a separate incident. 
 
 Thabo Sefolosha's lawyers have been contacted by the NYPD's Internal Affairs bureau, which is seeking an interview with the Hawks forward. AP Photo/Craig Ruttle 
 
 But a pair of videos published on TMZ late last week challenge several specifics from the report. 
 
 One video, shot by a witness, shows an officer at the scene swinging a baton at Sefolosha's lower body after a group of officers wrestled him to the ground. In addition, the arrests of Sefolosha and Hawks center Pero Antic appear to be more than 100 feet from the site of Copeland's stabbing. 
 
 Sefolosha, who suffered a broken right fibia and ligament damage, claims he was unlawfully injured by police at the scene. He made his first public comments since the incident following the Hawks' practice Tuesday. 
 
 "I am extremely disappointed I will not be able to join my teammates on the court during the playoffs and apologize to them for any distraction this incident has caused," Sefolosha said. "I will be cheering for them every step of the way and will be diligent in my rehabilitation. 
 
 "On advice of my counsel, I hope you can appreciate that I cannot discuss the facts of the case. Those questions will be answered by my lawyer in a court of law. I will simply say I am in great pain, that I have suffered significant injury, and those were caused by the police." 
 
 Sefolosha's lawyer also said Tuesday that his counsel is "investigating the tactics of the police in this case." 
 
 The NYPD's deputy commissioner of public information declined to comment on Tuesday, saying that the matter has been referred to the Internal Affairs bureau for investigation. The Internal Affairs bureau declined to comment. 
 
 Officers involved in the arrest and injury of Sefolosha have retained legal representation, the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association confirmed on Tuesday. Though the union characterized such an action as standard operating procedure for an on-duty incident, sources close to the defense said that the investigation by the department has proceeded briskly. 
 
 Sources close to the defense describe the current legal process between Sefolosha and the NYPD as inordinately complex, with criminal, civil and administrative components. ||||| Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland was released from a New York hospital two days after a Wednesday morning stabbing incident, a source told ESPN's Josina Anderson. 
 
 Copeland suffered knife wounds to his left elbow and abdomen, and a source told Anderson the knife blade touched his diaphragm and fractured a rib. In addition, a source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN's Chris Broussard that Copeland fractured his elbow. He also suffered lacerations to his left hand. 
 
 The crime scene near 1Oak nightclub, where authorities say Pacers forward Chris Copeland and two women were stabbed on Wednesday morning. AP Photo/John Minchillo 
 
 Copeland was in stable condition Thursday after undergoing surgery. He had been expected to remain in intensive care for two or three more days, the source told Anderson, because doctors wanted to clear the wound on Copeland's elbow to prevent infection. 
 
 In a statement Thursday, Copeland said, "I just want to thank everyone for their well wishes and prayers. I'm overwhelmed with the outpouring of support. I look forward to coming back stronger than ever. Thank you." 
 
 The man who attacked Copeland was arrested, and two members of the Atlanta Hawks, Pero Antic and Thabo Sefolosha, in town to play the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, were also charged for trying to prevent police from setting up a crime scene. Sefolosha broke his leg during the incident, which is under investigation by the National Basketball Players Association and the Hawks. 
 
 A 28-year-old woman, Katrine Saltara, was also stabbed, police said. Saltara, who lives in New York, and Copeland had been engaged. 
 
 The suspect, Shezoy Bleary, 22, was charged with assault Thursday. 
 
 The violence broke out just before 4 a.m. Wednesday outside 1Oak Club, a trendy Chelsea spot where celebs such as Justin Bieber and Snoop Dogg mingle with Manhattan partygoers. 
 
 ESPN's Josina Anderson, Chris Broussard, Ian Begley and Ohm Youngmisuk and The Associated Press contributed to this report. ||||| Just One More Thing... 
 
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– Professional basketball players risk season-ending injuries every day on the court. But Thabo Sefolosha of the Atlanta Hawks says his broken fibula and torn ligaments weren't suffered during a game, but during an incident with the NYPD. "I will simply say that I am in great pain, have experienced a significant injury, and that the injury was caused by the police," Sefolosha, on crutches and with a walking boot on his right foot, said yesterday, per USA Today. "On advice of counsel, I hope you can appreciate that I cannot discuss the facts of the case." Sefolosha and teammate Pero Antic were arrested outside a New York nightclub a week ago after a separate incident in which Chris Copeland of the Indiana Pacers was stabbed. A video of Sefolosha's arrest, obtained by TMZ, shows authorities bringing the athlete to the ground before an officer appears to aim a baton at him. "The video speaks for itself," said Sefolosha, who was charged with resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration, and disorderly conduct. Police said Sefolosha was obstructing an investigation into Copeland's stabbing, but video shows Sefolosha's arrest occurred some 100 feet away, ESPN reports; Copeland has since been released from a hospital, and the man who allegedly attacked him was arrested, the station notes. An arrest report says Sefolosha refused requests to disperse, charged an officer, and tightened and flailed his arms so that it took several officers to handcuff him. The NYPD's internal affairs bureau has reached out to Sefolosha for an interview as part of an investigation. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes Sefolosha's injuries will require surgery; he'll be sidelined during the Hawks' postseason run.