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Three Celtics named in civil rights suit
Antoine Walker, Ron Mercer, Chauncey Billips among defendents 

 OSTON - Antoine Walker of the Boston Celtics and the team's two
first-round draft picks last year have been named in a civil rights suit
filed in federal court. 

There has been no information made public as to what prompted the suit or
who has brought the suit, and the details known so far are sketchy. 

The plaintiff was not identified, being listed only as Jane Doe. Her
lawyer, Margaret Burnham, did not return calls from the Associated Press
seeking comment on the action. 

Records in the case have been impounded at the request of both sides and
the team and lawyers for the three defendants have also declined to comment. 

A motion has been made to dismiss the suit, according to one of the
lawyers, citing the public record of the suit filed April 15. 

In addition to Walker, the Celtics' No. 1 draft pick in 1996 and their
leading scorer this season, the defendants are guards Ron Mercer and
Chauncey Billups and a fourth man, Michael Ervin, who is not in the NBA. 

Dennis Kelly, representing Mercer and Billups, and Nicholas Theodorou,
representing Walker, had no comment. Willie Davis is representing Erwin. 

Jeff Twiss, a Celtics spokesman, said the team was not named in the suit. 

``We really don't know a lot of the particulars at this time, and I can't
comment on anything I don't know about,'' Twiss said. 

Mercer, taken sixth in the draft out of Kentucky, averaged 15.3 points per
game, second to Walker's 22.4. Billups, chosen with the third pick out of
Colorado, averaged 11.1 points in 51 games with Boston before being traded
to Toronto on Feb. 18. 

The suit was filed three days before the Celtics ended the regular season
with a loss in Washington that gave them a 36-46 record. They did not make
the playoffs. 

(This Globe Online report was prepared with material from the Associated
Press.)