A popular Fort Worth veterinary clinic is under investigation after a family says instead of euthanizing their sick pet the vet secretly kept the dog alive for blood transfusions.

Fort Worth police, the city of Fort Worth and state investigators are involved in the investigation that started when a client of the Camp Bowie Animal Clinic found out his beloved pet, believed to have been euthanized, was alive.

Jamie and Marian Harris said they took their dog, a 5-year-old Leonberger named Sid, to the vet to be treated for a minor anal gland issue.

After undergoing treatment, the family claims Sid had trouble walking and the veterinarian told them he had a bad spine condition that would only worsen. Court documents said the family was told the best option was to put him to sleep.

The couple and their son said their goodbyes and said they allowed the clinic to bury Sid on the vet's farm.

Six months later, the Harrises said they received a call from a veterinarian technician, Mary Brewer, who told them Sid was alive and being used for blood transfusions while being kept in a cage most of the day, surrounded by his urine and feces.

"I told her, 'He's still here,' and she's like, 'Can he walk?' and I said, 'Yeah, he's here waiting on you. If you came today, he'd walk out and jump in your car,'" said Brewer.

"It was like getting punched in the stomach and then some," said Marian Harris. "This has rocked our world. My kids are like, 'How does somebody do this?' How does this happen?"

• Read The Story of Sid from attorney James Eggelston, Jr.

The couple said they went to the clinic, found Sid and freed him.

State and local authorities went to the Camp Bowie Animal Clinic in the 5700 block of Lovell Avenue on Tuesday. Several of the animals there were seized as evidence in the investigation and placed in the custody of Fort Worth Animal Care and Control.

"I'm happy that something can be done and that people are listening, and that they can't get away with it no more," said Brewer.

Sid is home with the Harris family and being treated by other veterinarians. According to the Harrises' lawyer, doctors have determined he has mange, shows definite signs of being used for blood transfusions and shows evidence of being "abusively kenneled."

Neither the veterinarian nor anyone from the clinic has responded to NBC DFW's request for comment. Dr. Lou Tierce told the Star-Telegram the accusations against him are "all a bunch of hooey."

• Pet Poisons: What To Watch For

According to the Harris' lawyer the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners will meet in Austin. Although a date hasn't been set, the case is being treated as an emergency.

An investigator from the board is meeting with Fort Worth police and the Tarrant County district attorney Wednesday morning to determine whether any criminal animal abuse charges will be filed.

The Tarrant County Health Department is also involved in the case due to the unsanitary conditions at the clinic, according to the Harris' attorney.

Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers said Tuesday evening he supports the NBA's censure of team owner Donald Sterling over racist remarks.

Rivers said at a press conference before his team's playoff game that he agreed with Sterling's lifetime ban from the NBA, announced Tuesday by league commissioner Adam Silver.

"He made a decision that really was the right one, that had to be made," Rivers said. "Is this over? No, it’s not over. But it’s the start of a healing process that we need, and it’s a start for our organization to get through this, and that’s very important."

Asked whether he still wanted to work for Sterling, he said, "I don't know if I am."

• NBA Bans Donald Sterling for Life Over Racist Remarks

Rivers remarked on the unfair burden he said was placed on the targets of racism and on his players to respond publicly to the controversy.

"Everyone was waiting on them to give a response. And I kept thinking, they didn't do anything, yet they have to respond," he said.

"Our players have done the best that they could possibly do," he added.

Rivers said he hasn't thought about his future.

"This isn’t about me or what I’m doing, or want to do," he said. "I want to coach. I love coaching. I’ve enjoyed these guys."

Rivers had said on Monday that Donald Sterling's racist remarks hurt his players.

"I would like to reiterate how disappointed I am in the comments attributed to (Sterling), and I can't even begin to tell you how upset I am and our players are," Rivers said in a phone conference with the media.

He said he met with the members of the organization, many of whom were hurt.

• Download the FREE NBCLA News app

"That was what I got from all of them," he said. "They are now a part of this, and they are upset at this.

Recordings of Sterling telling girlfriend V. Stiviano he didn't appreciate her publicly associating with blacks or bringing them to Clippers games have surfaced amid a lawsuit in which Sterling's wife is demanding Stiviano turn over several fancy cars and a duplex the billionaire gave her.

The NBA has said that its investigation confirmed that it was Sterling who made the comments on the recording.

Alex Hernandez won’t let Chicago take second-city status in the pastry world.

The owner of Waffles Café has invented the wonut, a waffle-doughnut fusion he began serving two months ago at his restaurant locations at 203 E. Ohio St. and 3611 N. Broadway St. to near-instant buzz.

The concept seemingly falls in line with Dominique Ansel's popular cronut, a croissant-doughnut hybrid that debuted in New York last summer, but Hernandez says cronuts and wonuts have little in common.

“They’re so different,” he said. “They really only resemble each other because of the name combination.”

(Meanwhile, this week Ansel debuted the waffogato, an ice cream-filled waffle with maple syrup espresso, at his New York bakery.)

Wonuts are much denser than the fluffy cronut, for one, and Hernandez encourages diners to eat wonuts with a knife and a fork because they're so sticky.

They also differ quite a bit in price. While customers pay $5 for a single cronut in New York, a wonut will only cost them $2.95 at Waffles Café.

“I just want people to enjoy it,” Hernandez said. “It’s a fried waffle with sugar and frosting.”

They currently come in 10 different flavors, including apple fritter, red velvet, maple pecan, Mexican chocolate and birthday cake, complete with vanilla icing and multicolored sprinkles.

Though they haven't reached cronut-level popularity, wonuts saw some international buzz after Thrillist published a story about the creation.

Hernandez avoids pretension with the wonut, but the chef has his accolades. He trained at Le Cordon Bleu and was the manager at Japonais in New York for nine years before opening Waffles Café in Lakeview two years ago. He opened a second Waffles Café location in Streeterville last week.

Hernandez began serving wonuts just two months ago, but the idea for the pastry came about a year ago. It took him several months to find the right recipe. He even had to find a different oil to fry the waffles in, because the typical oil used to fry doughnuts made them too greasy.

After developing the idea of the wonut, Hernandez spent several months trying to come up with the right name. He tried out “flonut,” “yo’nut,” “dofflé” and “daffle” before settling on “wonut,” which had the best customer reaction.

The response has been overwhelmingly positive, he said, and it has extended beyond Chicago city limits. Hernandez said he began receiving phone calls and emails from reporters in New York, London and Tokyo. He went from selling about two dozen wonuts a day to 12 or 15 dozen a day during the week.

The concept of the wonut is still young. Hernandez has begun the process of copyrighting the name, much as the cronut creator's did, and said he wouldn’t be surprised if imitators began to emerge.

But Hernandez said he doesn't want to compete with the cronut. It's just not that kind of dessert.

“I wanted to make these fun,” Hernandez said. “I didn’t want to be uptight.”

• Couple Killed Man, Jumped Off George Washington Bridge: Police
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A Broadway musical that got its start at Balboa Park's Old Globe Theatre is leading this year’s Tony nominations.

“A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" earned 10 nominations Tuesday, including one for the prized "best-musical" honor.

The musical also received two "leading actor in a musical" nods with UC San Diego grad Jefferson Mays and castmate Bryce Pinkham.

Other nominations include: best director, actress, costumes, score, and set.

The nominations announced Tuesday morning also made waves for snubbing some big Hollywood names, including Denzel Washington, Daniel Radcliffe, James Franco, Zachary Quinto and Michelle Williams.

Get the entire list here.

Activists, civil rights groups and outraged fans both protested and celebrated outside Staples Center on Tuesday ahead of the Clippers game, after the NBA's historic censure of owner Donald Sterling over racist comments.

The team was playing in Game 5 against the Golden State Warriors just hours after the NBA announced Sterling will be banned from the league for life. Sterling will also be fined $2.5 million, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday.

• Sterling Remains in Seclusion After NBA Lifetime Ban

The sanctions - the most severe in league history - came after an NBA investigation confirmed that Sterling made racist comments in an audio recording first reported by TMZ Sports.

NBA players and coaches, along with fans and celebrities, have expressed their disdain for Sterling’s comments on social media, while others took their voices to the streets. 

"We got exactly what we called for," said Najee Ali of Project Islamic Hope on Tuesday. "We demanded that the NBA suspend Donald Sterling. They did that, because in our opinion, Donald Sterling sounded more like a plantation owner than an NBA owner."

• Kevin Johnson: "Zero Tolerance" for Racism in NBA

A coalition of activists and civil rights groups, including the National Hispanic Media Coalition, NAACP, and more than 200 motorcycle and car clubs, had announced their plans to protest Sterling outside Staples Center at 6 p.m., just before the 7:30 p.m. game.

The "Los Angeles Is Better Than Donald Sterling Anti-Racism Protest and Rally" fell on the 22nd anniversary of the 1992 LA Riots.

Despite the NBA’s decision to punish Sterling, the group had said it would still protest as planned to urge him to sell the Clippers.

• Fans, Celebrities Take to Social Media to Respond to Donald Sterling Scandal

"In a city as diverse as Los Angeles, we have no room for a bigoted owner of a beloved team. Don Sterling must go," said Jessica Gonzalez, executive vice president and general council of NHMC.

Outraged fans on the street echoed those sentiments.

"I don't think anyone should show up to the game," said protester Lamaj Samaii. "I don't discredit the players for playing, but I look at it (as) there is an issue with the people who want to continue to show up and pay this man (Sterling) money."

Other fans were also vocal about lending their support to the team.

"We're looking forward to being there tonight to represent and to actually just give them some support and tell them that we love them and we know that everything's going to be all right from here on out," said season ticket holder Phyllis Byrd.

The Clippers released a statement Tuesday saying they "wholeheartedly support and embrace the decision by the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver today. Now the healing process begins."

The team updated its Facebook and official website home page with a graphic reading, "We Are One" (shown at right) shortly after the decision was announced.

• Clippers Owner "Banned for Life" From NBA

Tuesday's game marked the team’s first at Staples since the recording surfaced April 25.

"Mr. Sterling is emphatic that what is reflected on that recording is not consistent with, nor does it reflect his views, beliefs or feelings. It is the antithesis of who he is, what he believes and how he has lived his life," Clippers President Andy Roeser said after the audio was posted online by TMZ Sports and extended clips by Deadpsin.

The Clippers fell to the Golden State Warriors 118-97 on Sunday, leaving the series tied 2-2.

NBC4's Toni Guinyard and Lolita Lopez contributed to this report.

Clippers owner Donald Sterling has yet to emerge from seclusion since the announcement of his lifetime ban from the team and the NBA.

Since the scandal over racist comments broke last week, Sterling has been glimpsed only briefly leaving a restaurant Sunday night.  He is the subject of the most severe sanction in league history after an NBA investigation determined he was the one making derogatory remarks in an audio recordings published on two websites.

• Sterling Firestorm: Coverage of Clippers Owner Controversy

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced a lifetime ban on involvement with the NBA and slapped the billionaire with a $2.5 million fine during a Tuesday press conference. He said the league plans to "force a sale" of the team -- a process that he said will start immediately.

The NBA's investigation included an interview with Sterling, during which it was determined that the voice on the recording is that of the 80-year-old Clippers owner, Silver said. Asked whether Sterling had expressed remorse, Silver said, “Mr. Sterling has not expressed those views directly to me.”

Sterling has not offered a response or made any public appearances since the announcement.

A brief statement issued by the Clippers made no effort to defend him: "We wholeheartedly support and embrace the decision by the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver today. Now the healing process begins."

The Clippers statement offered no details how the healing process would work or what role Sterling would play in it.

• Timeline: Donald Sterling's Clippers Ownership

Sterling's whereabouts remain unknown.

As is customary, the front door of his home base Sterling Plaza building in Beverly Hills remained locked. Signage out front announces four Sterling enterprises: his law office, Sterling Properties, the Clippers, and the Sterling Foundation. Looking through the glass doors during the afternoon revealed two security guards. Neither would open the door and no one responded to the building's intercom system.

For legal advice, Sterling has long relied on Robert Platt, a partner in the prominent Manatt Phelps law firm. Responding to a phone call, Platt's assistant said he was out of the office.

• Twitter Celebrates Donald Sterling's Lifetime Ban

The scandal emerged from recordings of statements made by a man confirmed by the NBA to be Sterling to a woman who has been reported to be his then-girlfriend, V. Stiviano.

Stiviano had been sued by Sterling's wife Rochelle in an attempt to recover a Ferrari, a duplex, and other gifts Sterling allegedly lavished on Stiviano.

During the recordings now made public, Sterling chides Stiviano for posting an Instagram photo of herself with Magic Johnson, and goes on to tell her she should not associate in public with members of minority groups.

Stiviano's attorney says his client was not responsible for releasing the tape, which he said were recorded legally in the presence of a "third party." He denied reports that his client was the billionaire's mistress, saying she was acting as his archivist. The attorney said in a statement released Tuesday that Stiviano is "very saddened" by the ban and "didn’t want any harm to come to Donald."

A call for comment to Rochelle Sterling's attorney, Laura Wasser, also went unreturned.

The mother of a man shot and killed by Los Angeles sheriff's deputies announced on Tuesday a $25 million claim against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department she said she hopes will help the family find closure.

John Winkler, 30, was shot and killed when deputies responded to a call of an assault with a deadly weapon in West Hollywood April 7.

An investigation revealed that Winkler, an aspiring producer working on Comedy Central’s "Tosh.0," was one of three men being held hostage by another man with a knife, authorities said.

Winkler's mother, Lisa Ostergren, spoke in Seattle Tuesday to announce how the family hopes to move forward with the lawsuit against the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.

• LA Sheriff's Deputies Admit They Killed Innocent Man

"Our family wants to find the truth of what happened that night," Ostergren said through tears. "The officers need to be accountable for their actions and what they've done, so no other family has to live through this."

Ostergren joined the family's attorney, Simeon Osborn, to announce the claim, a precursor to the lawsuit, against the LASD in Winkler's death.

• Clippers Owner "Banned for Life" From NBA

"The lawsuit is about truth and accountability," Osborn said. "This was a preventable act that robbed a young man of his dreams."

Those dreams were to be a television producer, his mother explained.

"He was living up here and he made the choice at 30 that that was his ultimate dream, so he packed up he moved down (to Los Angeles)," Ostergren said. "He said, 'Mom, I'm going to take whatever job I can get, I'm going to work hard and pursue whatever I want to do.'"

When Winkler landed temporary production work with "Tosh.0," it was an accomplishment for the whole family, she said.

"He was so excited he called everybody at home," Ostergren said. "His thing was, 'Mom, I'm going to work so hard so when a producer position comes up, they're going to give it to me."

• Download the FREE NBCLA News App

Representatives from the Comedy Central show have sent cards and condolences to the family since Winkler's death, she said.

The family left the room when Osborn was asked about the night of the shooting.

He described Winkler rushing out of an apartment where a stabbing suspect was holding people hostage.

Winkler was trying to help someone who had just been stabbed when he was shot, Osborn said.

"John grabs (the victim) because he sees him bleeding and gets him out the door. Police are in the lobby," he said. "John puts his hand on (the victim) to stop the bleeding, the door opens, and boom."

A sheriff’s department spokesman said an internal investigation was launched into the shooting.

Alexander McDonald, 27, allegedly stabbed and fought the hostages until deputies arrived, officials said. He has been charged in connection with murder.

V. Stiviano, the woman whom Donald Sterling was talking to when he made racist remarks, is "very saddened" by his lifetime NBA ban, and she didn't release the recording of their conversation, her lawyer said Tuesday.

Mac Nehoray in a statement released to NBC4 that his client "didn’t want any harm to come to Donald.

"She’s very saddened that NBA did what they did," Nehoray said in the statement. "No matter what, she and Donald were close for three years, and she feels very sad for him."

He said that a "third party" was present when the audio recordings were made made last September. He would not identify that person, saying that person wants to stay anonymous.

• NBA Bans Donald Sterling for Life Over Racist Remarks

"But it is important to know these tapes weren’t made illegally," he said. “My client is very articulate, she’s very smart, she even used to work with the DA’s office. It wasn’t her fault that the tapes got out. She never wanted that. She is a private person. She just wants to be left alone, and thinks she has been treated very unfairly by the media.”

• Full Coverage: Clippers Controversy

Recordings of Sterling telling girlfriend V. Stiviano he didn't appreciate her publicly associating with blacks or bringing them to Clippers games have surfaced amid a lawsuit in which Sterling's wife is demanding Stiviano turn over several fancy cars and a duplex the billionaire gave her.

The NBA has said that its investigation confirmed that it was Sterling who made the comments on the recording.

• Download the FREE NBCLA News app

Stiviano's lawyer also said that his client was never Sterling's mistress, only his archivist.

Stiviano was seen Tuesday roller skating with a visor on outside her home. When asked why she came outside given all the media attention, she said, "I started skating when I was two."

A Livermore youth golf instructor charged with sexually molesting several of his students is now accused of trying to kill his alleged teenage victims from jail.

Prosecutors on Tuesday added a 76th charge -- "solicitation of murder" -- to the case of Andrew Nisbet, the 32-year-old golf instructor who was first arrested in December 2013 on 65 counts of molestation and sex acts allegedly dating back to 2010.

In a 20-page charging document, Alameda County Senior Deputy District Attorney James Meehan alleged that Nisbet arranged to hire a hitman to kill the three students he is accused of molesting. The hitman turned out to be an undercover police inspector, who was sent in to investigate a tip sheriff's deputies received at Santa Rita Jail.

• Download Charges vs. Andrew Nisbet

Nisbet's attorney, Timothy Rien, did not immediately return a phone call to NBC Bay Area on Wednesday morning. In February, Nisbet pleaded not guilty to 75 charges of sex crimes, oral copulation, child pornography, lewd acts in minors involving three boys. For years, he was a popular golf pro at the Las Positas Golf Course in Livermore.

According to a probable cause statement filed in court and reported by the Contra Costa Times,  Nisbet began exchanging letters with someone he thought he could hire to kill his victims, who were between the ages of 12 and 17 when the alleged sex crimes took place.

After the informant tipped off a sheriff's deputy at the jail, the deputy sent the letters to the Alameda County District Attorney's office on Feb. 25.

• Livermore Golf Pro Accused of Molestation Pleads Not Guilty

The letters contained information about the three boys and asked to have them "taken care of, which from my training and experience means he is asking to have the victims killed," according to the sworn statement from Inspector Jeff McCort. Eight days later, County Inspector Edward Mermudez visited Nisbet in jail while undercover, posing as a hitman.

The investigator told Nisbet "that he was a mechanic and could fix a car for him and made a pistol-shooting motion with his hand," according to the statement.

Nisbet mouthed the victims' names to the "hit man," and told him that one lived in Pleasanton and one attended college in Santa Barbara. He promised to pay upfront to show he was serious, according to the statement. Nisbet also suggested that the investigator take the victims' cellphones, so that their murders would appear like a robbery.

Several Sikhs and Muslims in California announced filing discrimination complaints with the state on Tuesday, alleging that they were unfairly told they couldn't wear turbans and hijabs while riding go-karts at an amusement park with locations in California, Florida and New York.

The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and United Sikhs held simultaneous news conferences in Anaheim and Santa Clara to discuss their filing of public accommodation complaints against Boomers with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing. Boomers is a subsidiary of Palace Entertainment Holdings in Newport Beach, Calif.

CAIR spokeswoman Zahra Billoo said there are two other complainants in Orange County, (PDF) with another one about to file. All allege violations of California's Unruh Civil Rights Act based on Boomers unwillingness to permit park attendees wearing religious head coverings from riding go-karts.

Michele Wischmeyer, the vice president of marketing for Palace Entertainment, told NBC Bay Area she stood by the park's policy of not allowing headgear.

"It's our park, they are our guests and their safety is our concern," she said.

She said previous catastrophes at go-kart tracks were caused primarily by loose clothing, long hair and headgear getting caught in the engine and other equipment.

"It has nothing to do with a discrimination policy and everything to do with a safety policy," she said. She declined to comment on another area park, Six Flags in Vallejo, allowing headgear on its go-karts.

The Bay Area complainant is Noorah Abdo, an 8th grader in Sunnyvale, who says she was told last August during the festival of Eid when she was 13 that she couldn't wear a hijab to ride the go-kart at the Boomers in Livermore.

"I would be happy to wear a hoodie or some other device," Noorah said at the news conference in Santa Clara. "I don't understand why Boomers discriminates against Muslim girls."

Download Nasir Abdo's Complaint on Behalf of Daughter

According to the complaint, her father, Nasir Abdo, asked if his daughter could tuck her scarf into her shirt - just like the park allows for girls with long hair. But the manager answered no. "I don't make the rules, I just enforce them," was the answer he got, according to his complaint.

Arminder Singh, 26, and his three younger cousins, who say they were told they couldn't wear "patkas" - or small turbans - on the go-karts visiting the same park last July, plan to file a similar complaint.

Not letting Sikhs and Muslims whiz around the tracks, she said, "effectively bans thousands of local residents from riding the Go-Karts solely based on their faith," Billoo said.

She also said that the "catastrophes" that Boomers' references occurred in other countries, including Australia and Turkey, and that the United States has much stricter safety standards. She added that Sikh men, who wear turbans or "patkas," and Muslim women, who wear head scarves or hijabs, are willing to discuss how to come to a compromise over religious head gear and safety, but that the park leadership has been unwilling.

Wischmeyer told NBC Bay Area she just learned that there had been safety talks between the park's attorney and CAIR and United Sikhs, but didn't know enough about it to comment.

In addition, Billoo said that Sikhs and Muslims really took offense to the tone of an old informational sheet Boomers used to hand out, which has since been revised.

The old sheet, obtained by NBC Bay Area, (PDF) states:  "If fashion, religious expression or your hair style is more important to you than safety, that's fine. You can do what you want with your life. You just can't do it at our park."

Vista sheriff's deputies and school leaders are warning parents about a stranger seen lurking around Casita Elementary School.

Parents said they received an email and a phone call about a suspicious man on campus, and they say he’s been there before.

“There was a guy wandering around that they’ve seen a couple times,” parent Veronica Torres said,

School staff said the man parked his silver Mercedes C230 four-door near the entrance where the kids are picked up from school.

No one is allowed on campus without a badge. School officials said that when the principal approached the man, he left without incident.

The sheriff’s department said the man did not commit a crime. Nonetheless, the school has reminded students not to walk home alone or talk to strangers.

“I've had had the conversation with my daughters to not talk to people they don't know, but also to let others know if there's someone that has been taking to them," parent Jim Teiper said.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is investigating. They encourage parents, teachers and students to report any suspicious activity.

The developer who once proposed a mosque and Muslim community center near ground zero now plans a museum devoted to Islam at the same site.

Sharif El-Gamal said in a statement he wants to build a three-story museum "dedicated to exploring the faith of Islam and its arts and culture."

He said he commissioned French architect Jean Nouvel to design a 5,000-square-foot museum. The building also would include a sanctuary for prayer services and community programs.

It's unclear how El-Gamal would fund the project.

Spokesman Hank Sheinkopf would only say that El-Gamal would initially finance it himself and hoped to find other benefactors.

No timetable was given.

Buildings at 45 Park Place and 51 Park Place, two blocks from the World Trade Center site, would need to be demolished first.

A 5-foot-long chunk of airplane debris that is believed to be a piece of landing gear from one of the planes that hit the twin towers was found in an alley behind 51 Park Place a year ago.

The NYPD said at the time the landing gear was found after surveyors hired by the property owner inspecting the rear of 51 Park Place called police on Wednesday. 

When plans for the Islamic center at 51 Park Place were made public in 2010, opponents said they didn't want a mosque so close to where Islamic extremists attacked. They argued the site was "sacred" because landing gear from one of the hijacked Boeing 767 jets had punctured the roof of the building on Sept. 11.

During street protests, they clashed with supporters of the center, who said it would promote harmony between Muslims and followers of other faiths.

The five-story building, which was once a Burlington Coat factory, now includes a Muslim prayer space that has been open for three years. 

El-Gamal's statement says daily Islamic prayer services would temporarily move while construction was under way, and then would resume at the museum when it is completed.

The NBA's swift and decisive response to racist comments that a league investigation determined were made by LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling set off what might become a slow-moving process with several potential obstacles.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver mapped out his plan – a lifetime ban from the NBA and a $2.5-million fine – Monday to deal with the NBA's longest-tenured owner. The next steps, guided by the league's 92-page Constitution and Bylaws, involve a vote from the league's 29 other owners on whether to force a sale of one of the league's most promising franchises.

Silver said he is certain he has the three-fourths majority required from owners to force the sale, but that he is not sure how Sterling plans to respond – a legal fight over removal is possible. It remains unclear when that vote will happen, but the league's Board of Governors can call a special meeting before its scheduled meeting in July.

• Sterling Firestorm: Key Players, Timeline

The team's future ownership is likely to remain in question for as long as the Clippers survive in the playoffs.

"I told the players about the decision, and I think they were just happy there was a resolution and that it's over, at least the start of it," first-year coach Doc Rivers said. "I think we're all in a better place because of this."

Many owners issued statements of support for Silver after the announcement. No owners publicly defended Sterling, who admitted that the voice on a recorded conversation with companion V. Stiviano was his, Silver said. The man identified by the NBA as Sterling – who bought the Clippers in 1981 and became the longest-tenured owner in the NBA after the death of the Lakers' Jerry Buss in 2013 – criticizes Stiviano for posting pictures of herself with Lakers great Magic Johnson and Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp.

The comments, released by TMZ on Saturday before Deadspin posted a longer version, harmed the league and warranted Sterling's termination, Silver said. Sponsors were threatening to abandon the NBA and steady criticism was coming from current and former players, civil rights leaders, politicians and others.

Sterling will not be allowed to attend NBA games or practices, according to Silver's decision. He cannot visit the team's office or facility and is banned from "any business or player personnel decisions involving the team."

• Read: V. Stiviano "Saddened" by Ban

The NBA's Procedure for Termination

The removal of an owner is addressed in Section 14 of the league's constitution and bylaws -- a document that details the procedure for termination and other league rules. The process begins with a charge filed against the owner, who then has five days to respond after receiving notification.

Failure of an owner to respond to the charge is "deemed an admission... of the total validity of the charges as presented," according to the NBA constitution.

The NBA commissioner can then call a special meeting of the Board of Governors to hear the charges. That meeting is "to be held on a date not more than ten (10) days after the filing of a Member’s or Owner’s answer."

The Board of Governors can then vote on the charges. If the required number of owners vote for Sterling's termination, ownership would be transferred to the league. Once existing debts are paid, the team would then likely be sold.

• Read: Doc River's Applauds Ruling

The ownership removal process played out under much different circumstances when the league bought the financially struggling Hornets from then-owner George Shinn. The franchise was sold less than one year later.

The commissioner indicated the ban applied only to Sterling and that there had been no discussions about whether he could sell to a family member. Sterling's estranged wife, Rochelle, has been closely involved with the franchise for years and she was surrounded by six bodyguards at Tuesday night's playoff game against the Golden State Warriors.

The team has struggled in the shadow of the Lakers for decades, but has climbed from incompetence to Western Conference contender with the addition of young stars Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, and the hiring of coach Rivers, who called Silver's decision the start of a healing process.

Four days after a woman’s body was discovered in Carmel Mountain Ranch, her husband has also been found dead of an apparent suicide, according to San Diego police.

Police had initially investigated 51-year-old Lori Hughes’ death as suspicious and said there was no obvious sign of trauma to her body.

However, the autopsy found her cause of death to be “homicide by strangulation,” according to officials.

Police had been called to the 11700 block of Stoney Peak Drive last Thursday after Hughes had failed to show up for work as a special education aide at Mt. Carmel High School.

Hughes’ estranged husband, Daniel Hood, 49, was considered a person of interest in the case. The couple had been married 14 years but separated in January, officials said.

• Read: Students Break into High School, Kill Animals

On Monday, investigators went to interview Hood at his Rancho Peñasquitos home. They found him dead inside.

Police said his death appears to be a suicide.

A brush fire burning along the San Diego river in Santee Tuesday produced thick, black smoke and flames that came close to two apartment complexes, officials said.

Heartland firefighters responded to Carlton Oaks Drive and Carlton Hills Drive around 3:30 p.m. and found a fire sparked in dense trees and brush.

The fire burned near a row of homes along Willowgrove Avenue as well as the Carlton Oaks Golf Course with smoke drifting onto the course.

Officials said the fire came close to two nearby apartment complexes.

Firefighters were having a difficult time accessing the fire on foot. Helicopters were spotted picking up water from Santee Lakes and the golf course water hazards to help fight the flames.

San Diego County Sheriff's Copter 12 responded to help with air drops. Deputies in patrol cars could be seen driving along the course route.

No evacuations were issued, but nearby residents said they were ready to go if the order was given.

“We’ve been here since ’06, so we were with the ’07 wildfires here, and we still have our bag ready to go,” Cortena Blackburn said.

The fire burned an estimated four acres. No injuries were reported.

Residents said there is a homeless camp in the riverbed that has had problems in the past. However, officials have not released the cause of the fire.

The San Diego River flows into Sycamore Canyon just north of State Route 52.

Santee Fire Department Chief Richard Mattick said fire season may arrive months earlier than normal this year.

"Fire season is really already upon us here," Mattick said. "We've seen that, having a hot week this week, high winds and everything, that's gonna continue to dry out anything out there that still has any moisture in it."

"I've seen no moisture in the horizon for us, so at this point it's going to be a very, very severe fire season we're looking at," he said."

San Diego County was under a high wind warning until Thursday at 5 p.m.

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Florida State University quarterback and Heisman trophy winner Jameis Winston was cited for allegedly shoplifting snow crab legs from Publix, authorities said.

The red-shirt sophomore was issued a civil citation, the Leon County Sheriff's Office told WFLA.

Sheriff's Office officials have scheduled a news conference for Wednesday afternoon to discuss the incident.

Winston, who is also a pitcher for the Seminoles baseball team, was suspended from that team indefinitely, FSU's athletic department said in a statement.

"As a result of his citation last night, we are suspending Jameis Winston from the baseball team. I am confident he will complete his community service obligation and the situation will be resolved soon," the statement read.

Winston led the Seminoles to the BCS Championship Title in January with a 34-31 win over Auburn.

Winston had been investigated in November for a year-old sexual assault complaint, but no charges were filed and the case was closed.