Allegations of racism and misogyny within the Phoenix Suns: Inside Robert Sarver's 17-year tenure as owner

[Drewsprocket]

Fitz is still cool with Sarver right?

[specialsauce]

So they’re okay with everything he did. Roll.

They're OK with it? Did you read the three page report?

It’s a slap on the wrist.

So I can show my dick to a coworker, talk about someone’s boobs, make inappropriate statements about blowjobs, drop racial slurs and still keep my job??????


The NBAs ruling basically sides with Sarver. Go away for a year and let this die down and you can come back, do some bullshit training to say you’ve changed and hire some black women and it’ll all go away.

[Split T]

So they’re okay with everything he did. Roll.

They're OK with it? Did you read the three page report?

It’s a slap on the wrist.

So I can show my dick to a coworker, talk about someone’s boobs, make inappropriate statements about blowjobs, drop racial slurs and still keep my job??????


The NBAs ruling basically sides with Sarver. Go away for a year and let this die down and you can come back, do some bullshit training to say you’ve changed and hire some black women and it’ll all go away.

You can’t do it, but if you owned your own company, you could probably get away with it. It’s up to the other 29 owners and sadly they don’t want to set a precedent that might get them kicked out as well as I’m sure some of them have shady comments and actions in their past as well.

[Nodack]

I missed some of the allegations and conclusions. I was under the impression Sarver used the N word in quoting other people using the N word. Specifically he was talking about Black people using the N word to describe other Blacks and Sarver not agreeing with it. I don’t recall any accusations of him calling Blacks by the N word.

Also there are claims here he sexually assaulted women. Once again I could be wrong but, I was under the impression he used sexually inappropriate language around women, which isn’t the same as grabbing them by the ….

I am not a fan of Sarver. I think the punishment fit the crime sort of. I think if you took the business away from every owner of any business that ever said inappropriate things or treated their employees harshly that there would be very few businesses in America.

[Split T]

[Split T]

So it does look like Sarver gets to pick his interim governor

[Uncle_Gene]

NBA board of governors press conference on NBATv tomorrow. Can't wait to see what Adam Silver has to say about everything.

I believe in the weeks to come that everything will be reevaluated and Sarver will be gone.

[Shabazz]

NBA board of governors press conference on NBATv tomorrow. Can't wait to see what Adam Silver has to say about everything.

I believe in the weeks to come that everything will be reevaluated and Sarver will be gone.

At the very least there seems to be a significant amount of outrage around the punishment which may force the issue.

[Mori Chu]

I have mixed feelings about this outcome. I don't like or condone any of the Sarver behaviors outlined in the report. It's gross and discriminatory. I also think that most of the incidents cited are not completely reprehensible on an individual basis; it's more about the preponderance of the evidence over the years. Several of the examples cited sound to me like "locker room" boy crap that went too far over the line, like making jokes about players' genitals or things like that. But several examples, like sizing up female employees' bodies, discriminating against them for getting pregnant, firing black coaches / agents on questionable grounds, etc. bother me a lot.

I personally think that we should have more space in society today to allow people to make mistakes, be punished for them, and to hopefully grow and change and be better. I do think Sarver should face a significant punishment for all this stuff. Fining him $10m (max allowable) and suspending him a year is a fairly strong penalty. I wish it were 2-3 years, but whatever. I actually don't think the league should have forced him to sell. I don't think this stuff rises to Sterling level, and I sincerely believe that a person could learn to stop behaving in these kinds of ways and be better. Hopefully Sarver is learning to do that, and he can take a year off to better himself and try to show that he can grow.

I don't think it is necessary to completely run him out of polite society for these incidents. I think we should strongly criticize him, punish him, and ask him to be better. And then give him a chance to do that. To me this kind of punishment gives him that kind of space. Once he returns, I hope there is a zero tolerance policy for any racist or sexist behavior of the kinds described in this report; any repeat offense would in my mind be grounds for forcing him to sell.

Anyway those are my thoughts on it. Maybe I'm a softy, but I favor teachable moments over complete cancellations or shunnings. I respect those of you who feel differently and want him out. I, too, would be happier with a different Suns owner, not only because of the examples in this report but also because the guy just seems like a bad basketball decision-maker who lets his pettiness and ego lead him to make bad choices that hurt our team.

[TOO]

I have mixed feelings about this outcome. I don't like or condone any of the Sarver behaviors outlined in the report. It's gross and discriminatory. I also think that most of the incidents cited are not completely reprehensible on an individual basis; it's more about the preponderance of the evidence over the years. Several of the examples cited sound to me like "locker room" boy crap that went too far over the line, like making jokes about players' genitals or things like that. But several examples, like sizing up female employees' bodies, discriminating against them for getting pregnant, firing black coaches / agents on questionable grounds, etc. bother me a lot.

I personally think that we should have more space in society today to allow people to make mistakes, be punished for them, and to hopefully grow and change and be better. I do think Sarver should face a significant punishment for all this stuff. Fining him $10m (max allowable) and suspending him a year is a fairly strong penalty. I wish it were 2-3 years, but whatever. I actually don't think the league should have forced him to sell. I don't think this stuff rises to Sterling level, and I sincerely believe that a person could learn to stop behaving in these kinds of ways and be better. Hopefully Sarver is learning to do that, and he can take a year off to better himself and try to show that he can grow.

I don't think it is necessary to completely run him out of polite society for these incidents. I think we should strongly criticize him, punish him, and ask him to be better. And then give him a chance to do that. To me this kind of punishment gives him that kind of space. Once he returns, I hope there is a zero tolerance policy for any racist or sexist behavior of the kinds described in this report; any repeat offense would in my mind be grounds for forcing him to sell.

Anyway those are my thoughts on it. Maybe I'm a softy, but I favor teachable moments over complete cancellations or shunnings. I respect those of you who feel differently and want him out. I, too, would be happier with a different Suns owner, not only because of the examples in this report but also because the guy just seems like a bad basketball decision-maker who lets his pettiness and ego lead him to make bad choices that hurt our team.

Ok now imagine you're the guy he's whipping his dick out in front of, or the husband of the women that he was degrading, GTFO with this teachable moment shit. He's a grown adult man, this is unacceptable. I hope the players all ask for trades to force his ass out.

[specialsauce]

I have mixed feelings about this outcome. I don't like or condone any of the Sarver behaviors outlined in the report. It's gross and discriminatory. I also think that most of the incidents cited are not completely reprehensible on an individual basis; it's more about the preponderance of the evidence over the years. Several of the examples cited sound to me like "locker room" boy crap that went too far over the line, like making jokes about players' genitals or things like that. But several examples, like sizing up female employees' bodies, discriminating against them for getting pregnant, firing black coaches / agents on questionable grounds, etc. bother me a lot.

I personally think that we should have more space in society today to allow people to make mistakes, be punished for them, and to hopefully grow and change and be better. I do think Sarver should face a significant punishment for all this stuff. Fining him $10m (max allowable) and suspending him a year is a fairly strong penalty. I wish it were 2-3 years, but whatever. I actually don't think the league should have forced him to sell. I don't think this stuff rises to Sterling level, and I sincerely believe that a person could learn to stop behaving in these kinds of ways and be better. Hopefully Sarver is learning to do that, and he can take a year off to better himself and try to show that he can grow.

I don't think it is necessary to completely run him out of polite society for these incidents. I think we should strongly criticize him, punish him, and ask him to be better. And then give him a chance to do that. To me this kind of punishment gives him that kind of space. Once he returns, I hope there is a zero tolerance policy for any racist or sexist behavior of the kinds described in this report; any repeat offense would in my mind be grounds for forcing him to sell.

Anyway those are my thoughts on it. Maybe I'm a softy, but I favor teachable moments over complete cancellations or shunnings. I respect those of you who feel differently and want him out. I, too, would be happier with a different Suns owner, not only because of the examples in this report but also because the guy just seems like a bad basketball decision-maker who lets his pettiness and ego lead him to make bad choices that hurt our team.

Ok now imagine you're the guy he's whipping his dick out in front of, or the husband of the women that he was degrading, GTFO with this teachable moment shit. He's a grown adult man, this is unacceptable. I hope the players all ask for trades to force his ass out.

I’m with you.

He literally showed his penis to an employee.

“If you own the company you can get away with it” was the last rebuttal. So where’s the line drawn. What if he put his penis on their desk? Their leg?

His ass should be gone. The NBA is complicit

[The Bobster]

Let's hope the other members of the partnership vote him out because that's the right thing to do, plus it's the quickest, cleanest solution.

[Split T]

I have mixed feelings about this outcome. I don't like or condone any of the Sarver behaviors outlined in the report. It's gross and discriminatory. I also think that most of the incidents cited are not completely reprehensible on an individual basis; it's more about the preponderance of the evidence over the years. Several of the examples cited sound to me like "locker room" boy crap that went too far over the line, like making jokes about players' genitals or things like that. But several examples, like sizing up female employees' bodies, discriminating against them for getting pregnant, firing black coaches / agents on questionable grounds, etc. bother me a lot.

I personally think that we should have more space in society today to allow people to make mistakes, be punished for them, and to hopefully grow and change and be better. I do think Sarver should face a significant punishment for all this stuff. Fining him $10m (max allowable) and suspending him a year is a fairly strong penalty. I wish it were 2-3 years, but whatever. I actually don't think the league should have forced him to sell. I don't think this stuff rises to Sterling level, and I sincerely believe that a person could learn to stop behaving in these kinds of ways and be better. Hopefully Sarver is learning to do that, and he can take a year off to better himself and try to show that he can grow.

I don't think it is necessary to completely run him out of polite society for these incidents. I think we should strongly criticize him, punish him, and ask him to be better. And then give him a chance to do that. To me this kind of punishment gives him that kind of space. Once he returns, I hope there is a zero tolerance policy for any racist or sexist behavior of the kinds described in this report; any repeat offense would in my mind be grounds for forcing him to sell.

Anyway those are my thoughts on it. Maybe I'm a softy, but I favor teachable moments over complete cancellations or shunnings. I respect those of you who feel differently and want him out. I, too, would be happier with a different Suns owner, not only because of the examples in this report but also because the guy just seems like a bad basketball decision-maker who lets his pettiness and ego lead him to make bad choices that hurt our team.

Ok now imagine you're the guy he's whipping his dick out in front of, or the husband of the women that he was degrading, GTFO with this teachable moment shit. He's a grown adult man, this is unacceptable. I hope the players all ask for trades to force his ass out.

I’m with you.

He literally showed his penis to an employee.

“If you own the company you can get away with it” was the last rebuttal. So where’s the line drawn. What if he put his penis on their desk? Their leg?

His ass should be gone. The NBA is complicit

The point isn’t that he should be allowed to do things because he owns the company, it’s just that he has less oversight. No one can really tell him what he can or can’t do with any sort of consequence.

As for your last statement, I think he should be gone too, but I’m just not surprised he isn’t. And I don’t see the nba as complicit, unless by that you mean the other owners. I think there’s a huge difference between the other owners and the nba offices. Silver did what he could, he couldn’t remove Sarver without approval from the owners.

[TOO]

Rich white dudes love other rich whites dudes.

[The Bobster]

Rich white dudes love other rich whites dudes.

It's one thing it's a white rich dude running another team, but when your own money is involved the other rich, white dude is expendable.

[Superbone]

[Superbone]

https://www.gophnx.com/2022/09/13/nba-s ... employees/

[Superbone]

[Shabazz]

Mori, this is a good counter to your argument. He had his teachable moment 18 years ago.

[Flagrant Fowl]

No one was holding him accountable 18 years ago.

I'm not surprised by this result because I never really expected he'd be forced out by the NBA. Everyone knows he's an asshole, but lawyers retained by billionaires can wiggle their client out of just about anything.