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"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; Bulls rookies show off their child-themed backpacks in 2009. (Catherine Steenkeste/NBAE via Getty Images)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Controversy surrounding the alleged bullying of Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Jonathan Martin has led to increased attention on hazing in professional sports. At least one NBA team is banning a long practiced rookie initiation ritual shared by many teams.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Timberwolves rookie Shabazz Muhammad told Eric Pincus of the &lt;em&gt;Los Angeles Times&lt;/em&gt; that team executives told players they no longer wanted\u00A0rookies wearing child-themed backpacks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;BRANDT: Did the Dolphins do anything wrong?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Muhammad was issued a Jonas Brothers backpack to wear on trips. But now, he says, team president\u00A0Chris Wright\u00A0and general manager Milt Newton have informed players they wanted them to stop the tradition.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From the &lt;em&gt;Times&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\"They actually said they don't want us carrying them, but I understand with the stuff going on with the football thing,\" said Muhammad, who entered the draft after one season at UCLA. \"They want to be separate from that. . . . Now I think rookie hazing won't exist anymore.\"&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;DOLLINGER: Timberwolves climb to 4th in latest NBA Power Rankings&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last week, Marc Stein of ESPN reported the NBA had issued teams a memo warning that bullying or hazing of any kind would not be tolerated. Stein said the memo specifically mentions\u00A0the situation involving Dolphins offensive linemen\u00A0Richie Incognito\u00A0and\u00A0Jonathan Martin and details what type of behaviors would violate the NBA\u2019s policy.\nMajor League Baseball veterans have assigned rookies, such as Texas Rangers pitcher Derek Holland in 2009, to carry and pull child-like accessories such as backpacks. Photos and video of Holland sporting a pink Disney-themed backpack made their rounds of the Internet&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/si-wire/2013/11/12/timberwolves-backpack-hazing>