The show without ALK president M. Balčiūnas also featured basketball player Gabrielius Maldūnas, Utena “Juventus” club manager Eimantas Skersis, one of the leaders of the “3 on 3” association and basketball enthusiast Ignas Grinevičius, and former director of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation, now the general secretary of “LTU Aquatics,” Justas Kalinauskas.
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The sixth participant, “BasketNews” portal director Jonas Miklovas, was supposed to participate, but M. Balčiūnas refused to sit at the same table with him.
“You know the format you invited and the interlocutors you selected from the very beginning. I really wanted a deep, rational, constructive discussion, and I think we will have it in this circle,” explained M. Balčiūnas.
Is there a lot of journalists he refuses to talk to? The ALK president was asked this.
“No, practically none. Maybe (J. Miklovas – ed.) is one of the few. That discussion format is not possible for me with people who develop absolutely non-constructive criticism. I think that news was just recently communicated to me, and if you had laid out the whole discussion format in advance, I would have decided beforehand. Now, as of today, I was faced with a fact, so understand that my request was like that,” said M. Balčiūnas.
The show focused mostly on Rimantas Grigas’s situation. The former coach of the Lithuanian women’s national team, after a year and a half-long investigation, received very strict FIBA sanctions – suspended from basketball-related activities for a year and a half and required to pay nearly 13 thousand euros.
This raised many eyebrows, as ALK in 2025, after an investigation lasting only three days, announced that it found no signs of “sexual harassment” in R. Grigas’s behavior and only issued him a warning.
The show’s host asked why the ALK investigation lasted only three days, although the topic of sexual harassment and psychological violence is very complex.
“We are not talking about a three-day investigation, but about the decision regarding the coach’s resignation. Our reaction in this case was exemplary. Look at how long the investigation lasted,” emphasized the ALK president.
“You did not suspend him but issued a warning,” stressed G. Pečiulytė.
“The fact is – the information came out on Friday, appeared in the press, on Sunday – the coach resigned. He specifically took responsibility himself, he resigned. And the investigation lasted significantly longer,” explained M. Balčiūnas.
It is worth emphasizing that 15min published the first stories from female players about R. Grigas’s inappropriate behavior on February 13, 2025 (Thursday), and ALK announced it started the investigation on February 14 (Friday). R. Grigas’s resignation was announced on February 16 (Sunday), and on February 17 ALK reported the investigation was completed, a warning was issued to R. Grigas, and “no signs of sexual harassment were found.”
“I did not conduct the investigation, but the ethics and discipline commission did – I am not even a member. I regret the premature judgment, I acknowledge it again, and next time I definitely would not act like that,” said M. Balčiūnas.
He was reminded that in 2025 during an interview with Tomas Langvinis, the basketball association leader stated that “today we can confidently say that there was no sexual harassment, and both FIBA and all of us know that. That’s it, period in this story, respected Rimantas is fully rehabilitated.”
M. Balčiūnas responded to his earlier statements:
“You know, I won’t give dates now, I don’t remember exact details. So that there would be no manipulation with these matters later. I really regret the premature judgment, I acknowledged that. Our association did not have the experience, tools, and knowledge. Today my duty is to put all the regulations in place so that such incidents do not happen again, and if they do, we would find out earlier and the reaction would be as swift as when the coach was no longer the head coach of the women’s national team within one and a half days.”
“Please, look, the investigation was definitely not conducted in three days. I think it was significantly, significantly longer,” said M. Balčiūnas with a smile to the show’s host, although the facts say otherwise.
Please, look, the investigation was definitely not conducted in three days.
Speaking, E. Skersis said that “those involved with women’s basketball have known about this R. Grigas story for a long time. Maybe not with certain specific details, but that certain bad things were happening, everyone knew long ago.”
“To say that we conducted an investigation and found nothing is an absolute lie. I don’t even remember such a severe punishment as FIBA gave the coach. So the facts are indisputable, otherwise you would have complained and started investigating, not apologizing the day after the announcement. How you, investigating in the commission, could not see those facts, I don’t understand. It’s probably physically impossible. Either you are covering for your colleague, a longtime comrade, or you are lying. Because it is impossible not to see such things that were clear to the entire basketball community,” marveled the “Juventus” manager.
“I understand your feeling because the same commission punished you, so it’s hard for you to remain objective,” M. Balčiūnas replied to E. Skersis. – “I cannot comment on the commission’s work because I am neither a member nor did I coordinate the commission’s process and decision. The investigation could not have lasted three days because the questionnaire alone was prepared for a week or two, then sent to players and team members, so that process lasted at least a month. Someone misled you.
I am not saying it was an ideal process, I see shortcomings and regret that.”
M. Balčiūnas was also reminded of the statements made by player Amalija Pašajevaitė, who publicly left and criticized his behavior a few days ago.
“I remember how Mindaugas (Balčiūnas) invited me to the LKF house and, hearing about my situation in the club season, said nothing promising. Only when leaving with a smile, he said I should drink more green tea – it helps to calm down,” recalled the player.
“This is a story I would not like to delve into. I don’t really have a reason to apologize specifically to this player. I saw her once in my office when she came to the team manager, not to me. We helped as much as we could. You know, ‘Basketball House’ is open to everyone,” said M. Balčiūnas when asked if he apologized to the mentioned player.
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