On Nov. 19, 2004, Ron Artest and a few Pistons fans got into one of the ugliest sights these eyes have ever witnessed.

A projectile drink hit Artest in the head, prompting him to charge into the stands and seek out the fan who threw it. The chaos that ensued was unlike anything I’ve ever seen at a professional sporting event. The line between athletes and fans became incredibly blurred.

The event and its fallout saw Artest receive a year-ending suspension for his part in the melee. A few other players received suspensions as well, and the entire sport of professional basketball received a black eye from the incident.

On Wednesday, a little over a year after the episode in Detroit, the NBA saw another one of its players enter the stands.

Knicks forward Antonio Davis went into the stands during a game at the United Center after seeing his wife in a threatening situation with a Bulls fan. Davis hurried up to his wife and made sure the situation wasn’t going to get out of hand.

A few days after the incident, which ended with no punches thrown, the NBA passed down a 5-game suspension for Davis’ actions.

With Davis being reprimanded by the league – even on a smaller scale than Artest – it’s easy to tie these two events together mentally, to group them in the same category of NBA players getting out of hand. But there’s no way the two should be looked at in the same light.

What Artest did was juvenile and dangerous. Granted, he did have an object thrown at his head while on the court, but going into the stands took it to another level of fan-player interaction. There’s a difference between self-defense and retaliation.

People could have gotten seriously hurt. Things could have gotten more out of hand than they did. Artest didn’t act like a professional basketball player.

When players make it to the pros, in any sport, they automatically become role models. They’re in the spotlight, and they should act accordingly.

Time after time players run their mouths about contracts and playing time and anything else they can find to complain about. But at the end of the day, it’s all still talk. When Artest left the basketball court, his actions took center stage.

And on Wednesday, Davis’ actions took center stage, too. But unlike Artest, Davis went into the stands for a real reason.

Davis reacted with the information he had readily available. He saw his wife, who he perceived to be in trouble. He saw the lack of security present. And he’d seen enough basketball games to know that fans can get ugly when the beers start to kick in.

So he went into the stands, not as a basketball player but as a husband. He didn’t have time to think about the consequences. And even if he did, sometimes it’s worth it to face them.

Whether we play professional sports, write for a newspaper or are just fans, we’re all still humans. And there are basic human instincts that take over during certain situations. The NBA league office or anyone else would be hard-pressed to pass judgment on when it’s right to act on your instincts.

Davis was ensuring the safety of his wife, the person he promised to look after when they took their vows. A solid gold wedding band should always be stronger than a cotton basketball jersey.

Basketball players and all athletes have a responsibility to themselves and to their sport to act professionally. But at some point there is a line where basketball player ends and human being begins.

Nathan Grimm is a sophomore in ALS. He can be reached at [email protected].