Sarver denied the allegations last month, saying the then unpublished story was based on “lies, innuendo and a false narrative” designed to “attack our organization.”
The story, posted on ESPN’s website, grew out of interviews with more than 70 current and former Phoenix Suns employees, most of them unidentified, who said that Sarver repeatedly used racist language and conduct deemed misogynistic and inappropriate.
“The level of misogyny and racism is beyond the limits”, an unidentified Suns co-owner told ESPN about Sarver. “It’s embarrassing as an owner”he added.
Sarver allegedly used a racial slur in a conversation with a black coach.
ESPN said that Sarver, Through lawyers, he denied using the racial slur and stated: “The word ‘N’ (black) has never been part of my vocabulary.”
The report said that the conduct of Sarver He contributed to a culture in the workplace that affected how other managers treated employees.
The general manager of the Suns, James Jones, and the team president, Jason Rowley, defended Sarver before ESPN. Rowley said the story was “completely scandalous and false” and that Sarver “It is not racist or sexist.”
The spokesperson for the NBA, Mike Bass, told ESPN that the league does not “has received a complaint of misconduct in the Suns organization”, while the executive director of the players’ union of the NBA, Michele Roberts, told the network that he was not aware of any player reports of the Suns’ misconduct.
ESPN quoted an unidentified employee from the business department as saying: “If the commissioner comes in and investigates, he would be horrified.”.
Several Phoenix Suns employees recalled that Sarver used racist language in conversations, ESPN reported, and also quoted Sarver as saying, “I don’t like diversity” when it came to organizing.
Proven allegations of racist behavior or the use of racist language could have serious implications for any NBA team owner.
In 2014, then-Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was fined $ 2.5 million and banned for life from the NBA after being searched using racist language.. Later, the league forced the sale of the team to new owners.
Sarver, 59, bought the Suns in 2004 for $ 401 million. The franchise now has an estimated value of 1,550 million.
The Phoenix Suns reached the NBA Finals last season, where they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks, but an anonymous current executive told ESPN that despite their on-court success, “the culture is lower than ever.”
Source From: Ambito
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