Shock F Ford out for season

Jul 23, 2008 - 10:27 PM AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Ticker) -- One day after losing a game marred by an ugly brawl, the Detroit Shock lost forward Cheryl Ford for the season.

Ford will miss the remainder of the regular season after being diagnosed Wednesday with a torn right ACL.

A former WNBA Rookie of the Year, Ford suffered the injury during a melee that occurred during the final seconds of Tuesday's 84-81 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks. The All-Star fell to the ground clutching her knee after attempting to restrain a teammate and was removed from the floor on a wheelchair.

The fight began when Sparks rookie Candace Parker and Detroit's Plenette Pierson got tangled up and fell to the floor. Pierson then charged Parker, who slung the Detroit center to the court, igniting the incident.

Shock assistant coach Rick Mahorn came off the bench - apparently as a peacemaker - but the 6-10, 300-plus pounder created more violence when he inadvertently knocked Los Angeles forward Lisa Leslie to the floor.

Parker, Pierson, Mahorn and DeLisha Milton-Jones all were ejected.

The 6-3 Ford appeared in 24 games this season, averaging 10.1 points and a team-leading 8.7 rebounds.