Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver joins former Los Angeles Clipper owner Donald Sterling in being forced out of the wokest professional sports league on account of saying the wrong thing, being the wrong skin color, and presumably holding the wrong political views.
Earlier this fall, an NBA-commissioned investigation uncovered the use of a racial slur, as well as alleged incidents of sexual harassment, that thereby necessitated what essentially amounts to a forced sale of the team.
CNN reported on the initial results of the NBA’s own investigation, saying:
A report detailing the investigation, commissioned by the NBA last fall after an ESPN report about Sarver’s alleged behavior, found he had “on at least five occasions during his tenure with the Suns/Mercury organization, repeated the N-word when recounting the statements of others.”
Worth noting is that Sarver’s crime was repeating the n-word just five times in context…over twenty years. Joe Biden said that same word more than ten times in a single Senate hearing in 1985. Should he resign too? One doesn’t have to defend Sarver’s choices in pointing out obvious selective outrage.
Also worth noting is that CNN led its coverage by leading with the alleged use of the slurs and not the fact that engaged in instances of inequitable conduct toward female employees, made many sex-related comments in the workplace, made inappropriate comments about the physical appearance of female employees and other women, and on several occasions engaged in inappropriate physical conduct toward male employees,” as the NBA’s report further explained.
Apparently using a word embraced by nearly the entire NBA players’ community is reason enough for not just a fine and suspension, but excommunication from the league altogether.
After these reports surfaced, the league fined Sarver $10 million and suspended him for the entire season. That wasn’t enough for woke superstar LeBron James.
“Read through the Sarver stories a few times now. I gotta be honest…Our league definitely got this wrong,” the CCP-loving James said in a tweet. “I don’t need to explain why. Y’all read the stories and decide for yourself. I said it before and I’m gonna say it again, there is no place in this league for that kind of behavior.
“I love this league and I deeply respect our leadership,” he continued. “But this isn’t right. There is no place for misogyny, sexism, and racism in any work place. Don’t matter if you own the team or play for the team. We hold our league up as an example of our values and this aint it.”
Former NBA star Chris Paul also chimed in.
“Like many others, I reviewed the report,” he tweeted. “I was and am horrified and disappointed by what I read. This conduct especially towards women is unacceptable and must never be repeated. I am of the view that the sanctions fell short in truly addressing what we can all agree was atrocious behavior. My heart goes out to all of the people that were affected.”
For his part, Sarver didn’t go quietly. He released a powerful statement about the toxicity of the woke cancel mob and their focus on one small sin within the larger context of a great tenure.
“Words that I deeply regret now overshadow nearly two decades of building organizations that brought people together – and strengthened the Phoenix area – through the unifying power of professional men’s and women’s basketball,” said began in the statement.,
“As a man of faith, I believe in atonement and the path to forgiveness. I expected that the commissioner’s one-year suspension would provide the time for me to focus, make amends and remove my personal controversy from the teams that I and so many fans love,” he said in a statement. “But in our current unforgiving climate, it has become painfully clear that that is no longer possible — that whatever good I have done, or could still do, is outweighed by things I have said in the past.”
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