Well, maybe not. But the animal-rights group did liken Ginobili's treatment of a bat to Michael Vick's treatment of dogs, according to Fanhouse.com.
When a bat flew onto the court in the middle of Saturday's game, Ginobili swatted the creature to the floor, picked it up and handed it off to an arena staffer amidst roaring applause from the crowd. Now, on its Web site, PETA is calling him out for animal abuse:
"Here's our take on it: To bludgeon a four-ounce animal to death, it takes either a small man or a totally unthinking one — with no respect or consideration for lives humbler than his own. This is a time when athletes in particular need to be on their best behavior around any animal and show that they have brains and a heart, not just reactionary brawn."
Within the statement, PETA linked to an archive of articles condemning Vick, who was imprisoned for federal dogfighting charges in 2007.
PETA has long been criticized for its somewhat outrageous (and seemingly attention-seeking) responses to alleged cruelty against animals. But is this taking it too far? If a bat came flying at you, would you really hesitate to swat it away?
It's probably safe to assume the league won't be suspending Ginobili for violating the NBA's code of conduct.
