The NBA has concluded its investigation into the alleged workplace misconduct of Suns owner Robert Sarver and has announced in a press release that Sarver has been suspended for one year and fined $10MM for engaging in behavior that “clearly violated common workplace standards.”
According to the NBA, the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz – which led the independent investigation – interviewed 320 individuals, including current and former Suns employees, and examined more than 80,000 documents.
The firm found that Sarver had used racially insensitive language in the workplace, including using the N-word when recounting other people’s statements on at least five occasions.
The investigation also confirmed that the Suns’ owner engaged in inequitable treatment of female employees, made “many” sex-related comments in the workplace – including inappropriate comments about female employees’ physical appearances – and treated team employees in a “demeaning and harsh” manner.
The investigation into Sarver’s behavior began last November following the publication of an ESPN report, which contended that the Suns owner used racially inappropriate language and engaged in inappropriate and misogynistic behavior, creating a toxic workplace. The full report from Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz directly addresses many of the specific allegations made in that ESPN article.
The $10MM fine that Sarver faces is the maximum allowed by the NBA’s constitution and by-laws. That money will be donated to organizations committed to addressing race- and gender-based issues in and outside the workplace, according to the league.
During his one-year suspension – which also applies to his involvement with his WNBA franchise, the Phoenix Mercury – Sarver won’t be permitted to attend any NBA or WNBA games. He also can’t be present at team facilities or be involved in any way with his franchises’ business or basketball operations. Additionally, he’ll be required to completed a training program related to appropriate workplace conduct.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), Sarver’s ban from the Suns’ business and basketball operations comes at a time when the team is facing some key contract decisions and has crossed the luxury tax line for the first time in over a decade.
While it’s a severe punishment for Sarver, there’s no indication that he’ll be required to sell the franchise, as former Clippers owner Donald Sterling was in 2014 when recordings surfaced of him making racist comments. Within today’s press release, the NBA stated that investigators “made no finding that Sarver’s workplace misconduct was motivated by racial or gender-based animus.”
Although the NBA said Sarver “cooperated fully” with the investigation, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Baxter Holmes (Twitter link) that he was “unaccepting” of the idea that he deserved to be suspended for one year and fined $10MM. “The punitive part of the process became largely acrimonious,” Woj writes.
Wow.
I wonder if this sanction enough to change the misogynist culture there?
The one year suspension probably hurts more than the money. The HR department in phoenix is probably celebrating from not having to protect this guy for a year
Then
Who is the Suns owner for one year?
Sarver.
He’s still the owner for now, he just has to appoint a interim governor.
Doesn’t Luka own them?
What is the biggest difference between this situation and the one in LA that caused dude to have to sell his franchise?
Everyone in the league hated Donald Sterling and used that situation to force him out.
I’m just guessing here that there are two reasons why Sarver isn’t being required to sell:
1) Sterling’s misdeeds were worse and there were recordings
2) The league doesn’t despise Sarver
The league doesn’t, just Suns fans.
It is absolutely because there isn’t a recording of him saying the n word
This way the league gets 10 million dollars.
Oops okay I see that the $10 million is donated to various organizations. Doesn’t go to the league. Bad post by me.
League gets a 10mil write off. Same difference.
Where is the actual punishment? His accountants take the charge (ha!) as a write-off or charitable contribution, his silicon-inflated wife can still strut around the facilities like an empress, tormenting the “little people”, and he keeps 2 very valuable franchises while on vacation. Seems Sarver suffers no substantive loss.
As a Suns fan I truly hope he is forced to sell.
It’s a dog and pony show for the plebs. Billionaires don’t hurt one another.
$10 mil is still a lot of money even for billionaires. And he can’t just recoup the entire $10 mil through write offs. That’s not how taxes work.
“$10 mil is still a lot of money even for billionaires.”
No, it’s not. Except for the mathematically challenged.
So $10M to Robert Sarver assuming his worth is about a Billion dollars is about 1% of his worth, or the equivalent of about $100 to someone like yourself, assuming your net worth is about 10k. Does $100 sound like a lot of money to you? Relative to 10k??
And yes, if the fines are going to registered charities as reported, then Robert Sarver absolutely can and will deduct the $10M “contribution” against $10M of taxable gains. So in essence, this $10M fine is a wash, aka write off.
Sarver was fined the money. The NBA is using those funds to donate to charity. It’s the league’s money.
So he was supposedly and I say that because I wasn’t there said “the n word” when recounting events on multiple occasions. Unless there is a recording of this I’d be curious to know how this was proven. Additionally I’d like to know and be really interested if it is was er or a that he was quoted as saying..
Most likely it was proven by corroborating testimony. One person makes claims in an interview, another person makes those same claims in their own interview.
@Brian
(Thrusts hand in air and yells “oh oh pick me, pick me!!!). Black guy here. I don’t like Black ppl using the word but unless you are an African- American (and I make that distinction because non- American Blacks don’t play those games) and in the midst of singing with a rap song containing the “ga” version of the words written in the lyrics then the answer is you are NEVER allowed to use ANY pronunciation of the word. And PLEASE if reciting the lyrics make 100% SURE you enunciate the heck out of the “ga” sound. Just saying.
Pretty sure I’m going to trust a high powered law firm’s thorough investigation over your “I wasn’t there” misgivings.
Sarver’s behavior was a pattern, not isolated incidents. That’s the main takeaway here. Even if not 100% of the things claimed to have happened happened, the volume was damning.
Wonder how many houses in rich, suburban neighborhoods the founder’s of those charitable organizations will buy for themselves with that 10 mil.
Why do all the big pro leagues in America let the lowest quality sickos own their individual teams?? Why is the standards and practices for “NBA/MLB/NFL team owner” zero????
$tandand$ & Practice$ go away if there are enough zero’s in the check lol
How about the standard of players in nba/nfl being so low???
You hear way worse if you sit courtside for like a single quarter of an NBA game.
Or anywhere in Vivint Center.
Yeah, that shouldn’t be tolerated either.
Better than Deshaun Watson’s punishment I guess, although that’s a pretty low bar.
I forget does $10MM stand 10 millimillion or 10 megamillion?
This seems like another Papa Johns situation where (from what I heard) he quoted someone using the n word. Thats why the nba said his behavior wasn’t racist in their statement. A 10 million dollar fine for quoting someone saying the n word 5 times over the course as an owner. 2 million dollar fine per n word. The NBA is a real joke
While the racist remarks are uncalled for and part of it, in this case the punishment seems to be more related to misogyny and sexual harassment.
He used the N word or he used the N word when recounting other people’s statements? Those are quite different- like singing the lyrics of a rap song is recounting another persons statement.
If you’re the boss and you’re dumb enough to sing a song using the “n-word” in front of your employees you won’t be the boss very long.
Simple facts.
Isn’t there excessive use of the “n-word” all game long by players? Is that acceptable?
pg, by black players. A white person should NEVER, ever, under any circumstance use the word. Never.
the actual cost to sarver might ending up being much more – businesses may avoid doing business with his realestate company out of concern for being associated