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Mark Cuban - Should be forced to sell Mavericks for keeping an abuser on payroll (1 Viewer)

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LoadLetterPaper

Footballguy
http://www.newsweek.com/nba-could-force-mark-cuban-sell-mavericks-after-workplace-misconduct-815712

Mark Cuban could be forced to sell the Dallas Mavericks after a tumultuous couple of days saw him fined by the NBA for suggesting his team should tank, while the franchise also became embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal.

On Wednesday, a report by Sports Illustrated alleged former Mavs president Terdema Ussery, who spent 18 years at the franchise, had made sexually suggestive remarks to a number of women.

A day later, Cuban was fined $600,000 by the league for suggesting his team would be better off losing the remainder of its games this season.

Discussing both developments on ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption (PTI), the show’s co-host Tony Kornheiser said that NBA’s executives would be keeping a close eye on the Mavs.

“I could envision the league saying ‘We don’t want him [Cuban] owning this team anymore, we don’t think he is good for the league’,” he said.

In the past, the league has forced owners to sell their franchise, most notably in the case of former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who in April 2014 was fined $2.5m and banned from attending NBA games after a recording of him making racist remarks was released by TMZ Sports.

Following pressure from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Sterling sold the team a month later.

PTI’s other co-host, Michael Wilbon, insisted the Mavs’ case was completely different from the Clippers, as Cuban was allegedly unaware of events behind the scenes.

However, Kornheiser replied: “He [Cuban] is one of the most hands on guys in the league, it is going to be very hard to believe he knew nothing about this.”

The Sports Illustrated report added team website reporter Earl Sneed was twice accused of sexual assault during his spell as a Mavericks employee, including a guilty plea in a case that was dismissed when he met the conditions.

Sneed has since been fired. Cuban told Sports Illustrated that human resources director Buddy Pittman has also been given his marching orders, after further details of the report emerged.

Evan Krutoy and Anne Milgram have been appointed by the franchise to lead an independent investigation into the scandal, but Kornheiser suggested the NBA should set up its own inquiry.

“The league should step in today, thank Dallas for launching their own investigation without being asked to do so and then take over,” he said.

The expose also revealed Ussery, who joined the Mavs in 1997 and left in 2015, had been investigated by the Mavs over similar accusations in 1998.

“It was a real life Animal House ,” one former organization employee was quoted as saying by the report. “And I only say ‘was’ because I’m not there anymore. I’m sure it’s still going on.”

Mavs’ icon Dirk Nowitzki, who has spent two decades with the franchise, said he had been left “disgusted” by the reports.

“It’s very disappointing,” Nowitzki told The Dallas Morning News. “It’s heartbreaking. I’m glad it’s all coming out. I was disgusted when I read the article, obviously, as everybody was.”

Meanwhile, Cuban admitted he “had earned” his latest fine, after making remarks about tanking.

"I'm probably not supposed to say this, but, like, I just had dinner with a bunch of our guys the other night, and here we are, you know, we weren't competing for the playoffs,” he told told Julius Erving on the  "House Call with Dr. J" podcast  on 18 February.

"Adam [Silver] would hate hearing that, but I at least sat down and I explained it to them [...] But being transparent, I think that's the key to being kind of a players' owner and having stability."
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Donald Sterling lost the Clippers for a lot less than this. For a private conversation that was recorded. 

 
Cjw_55106 said:
"A lot less than this"?

What, exactly did he do? Cuban was allegedly unaware and a TV host doesnt believe it.....is this the evidence you are referring to? 
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Cuban admitted he kept this guy on the payroll, didn't fire him, because he wanted to keep an eye on him and didn't want anyone else to hire him  :excited:

 
The Clippers situation is not the parallel precedent here.  If anything--the Knicks (Dolan) situation with Isiah Thomas is more similar.  A jury found that Thomas sexually harassed another employee --and Dolan ended up firing that employee unjustly.   The harassed former employee got awarded nearly 12 million dollars--but Dolan was not forced to sell the team.   In this case--I can't imagine that Cuban be forced to sell the team unless there is clear evidence that he knew exactly what was going on and decided to do nothing about it. 

 
jvdesigns2002 said:
The Clippers situation is not the parallel precedent here.  If anything--the Knicks (Dolan) situation with Isiah Thomas is more similar.  A jury found that Thomas sexually harassed another employee --and Dolan ended up firing that employee unjustly.   The harassed former employee got awarded nearly 12 million dollars--but Dolan was not forced to sell the team.   In this case--I can't imagine that Cuban be forced to sell the team unless there is clear evidence that he knew exactly what was going on and decided to do nothing about it. 
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If he wasn't a good liberal, the media would be having a field day with this. The only person so far to say anything has been Jason Whitlock. 

 
LoadLetterPaper said:
If he wasn't a good liberal, the media would be having a field day with this. The only person so far to say anything has been Jason Whitlock. 
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Did you start the thread to actually discuss this particular issue with the Mavs--or to just transform this into some liberal/conservative haven for trolling?  If it's the latter--this should be moved to the sub-forum. 

 
jvdesigns2002 said:
Did you start the thread to actually discuss this particular issue with the Mavs--or to just transform this into some liberal/conservative haven for trolling?  If it's the latter--this should be moved to the sub-forum. 
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Is he or is he not a lib?  Has the media or has it not mostly stayed away from this subject so far? 2 + 2 = 4

 
LoadLetterPaper said:
Is he or is he not a lib?  Has the media or has it not mostly stayed away from this subject so far? 2 + 2 = 4
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You started a thread about an issue regarding a basketball organization.  You get a couple responses and instantly you are now transforming it into some liberal/conservative rant.  This is not the political subforum. If you wanted to start a liberal/conservative thread--start it there.  

 
LoadLetterPaper said:
Cuban admitted he kept this guy on the payroll, didn't fire him, because he wanted to keep an eye on him and didn't want anyone else to hire him  :excited:
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I don't see that in either the Newsweek or SI articles. Both articles say there is no evidence Cuban knew about it other than speculation that "he's so hands on, he must have known". The investigation in 1998 was 2 years before Cuban bought the team, so there's no evidence he even knew about that.

 
Despite Cuban’s claims he had no knowledge of the “corrosive workplace culture of the Dallas Mavericks,” a few employees told Sports Illustrated the owner knew but turned a blind eye.

“Of course Mark knew [about the instances of harassment and assault]. Everyone knew,” one employee said.

One woman, who alleged she endured sexual harassment while working in the Mavericks workplace, said she believed Cuban “turned a blind eye” because the revenue continued to roll in while Ussery worked with the team.

A source told Sports Illustrated the office had a “locker room culture,” yet the “real locker room,” filled with the team’s players, always treated the employees with respect.

“I had hundreds of interactions with players and never once had an issue…they always knew how to treat people. Then I'd go to the office and it was this zoo, this complete s--- show. My anxiety would go down dealing with players; it would go up when I got to my desk,” the source said.

A few women, who asked not to be named, told SI that Ussery's issues were well known among women in the office.

One woman said Ussery repeatedly told her she was “getting gang-banged” during the weekend while others said the CEO put his hand on their thighs during meetings and propositioned them for sex.

One employee said a friend told her to “watch out for the president [Ussery]” and not to get “trapped in an elevator with him”

Another woman said she left her job due to Ussery’s alleged lewd behavior after more than ten years in sales with the Mavericks.

The president was investigated in 1998 by the team for alleged inappropriate behavior after a few females workers complained about his conduct. Following the investigation, the Mavericks updated the employee handbooks and hired a new person to run human resources.

But Ussery remained with the team, and even had his contract extended for three years, eventually leaving the team in 2014.  
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The truth shall set Cubes free. of the Mavericks

 
apalmer said:
I don't see that in either the Newsweek or SI articles. Both articles say there is no evidence Cuban knew about it other than speculation that "he's so hands on, he must have known". The investigation in 1998 was 2 years before Cuban bought the team, so there's no evidence he even knew about that.
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https://sports.yahoo.com/horrible-mistake-mark-cuban-knew-ex-mavs-writers-domestic-violence-incidents-212435125.html

Mark Cuban on Wednesday took full responsibility for the decision to continue employing a writer for the Dallas Mavericks’ website for multiple years after two separate cases of domestic violence. The Mavericks owner acknowledged that while he didn’t know the full details of Earl K. Sneed’s incidents, he knew enough that he shouldn’t have made “a horrible mistake” by keeping him on staff.

“I want to be clear, I’m not putting the blame on anybody else,” Cuban told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “It came down to my final decision that I made.”

 
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There's something wrong with society when Cuban is fined $600K for making a reference to tanking, but is not fined at all for harboring a serial abuser.

 
Joe Summer said:
There's something wrong with society when Cuban is fined $600K for making a reference to tanking, but is not fined at all for harboring a serial abuser.
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It’s not about society - I’m not saying Cuban shouldn’t be punished for this (frankly don’t know enough about it presently) - but coming out saying he told his players to tank directly affects the NBA’s integrity and its bottom line. It’s much more directly related to the game and the product.

 
Dr. Octopus said:
It’s not about society - I’m not saying Cuban shouldn’t be punished for this (frankly don’t know enough about it presently) - but coming out saying he told his players to tank directly affects the NBA’s integrity and its bottom line. It’s much more directly related to the game and the product.
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Does an owner who is open and honest about his team's strategy affect the integrity of the league more or less than the numerous teams that do the same thing but aren't honest about it?

 
Bull Dozier said:
Does an owner who is open and honest about his team's strategy affect the integrity of the league more or less than the numerous teams that do the same thing but aren't honest about it?
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The same but somethings are better left unsaid. A lot of these teams tank but they likely don’t tell the players to lose on purpose they just make it difficult for them to win.

 
\

Bull Dozier said:
Does an owner who is open and honest about his team's strategy affect the integrity of the league more or less than the numerous teams that do the same thing but aren't honest about it?
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I don't know what Cuban said, but telling the players to lose games is a lot different than "strategically" holding guys out due to phantom injuries and stuff like that. 

 
If all he did was explain to the player's that they franchise would be better off if they lost the rest of their games - I think it's a little insulting to the players that he got fined. They aren't morons, they understand how the lottery works, so the explanation was totally unnecessary. They are also professionals whose jobs are on the line, they aren't going to intentionally throw games just because of a comment Cuban made. 

 
I think the league owners should celebrate diversity and it would hurt their standing with the Caribbean community if they got rid of all the Cuban owners. 

 
Moe. said:
\

I don't know what Cuban said, but telling the players to lose games is a lot different than "strategically" holding guys out due to phantom injuries and stuff like that. 
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Dr. Octopus said:
The same but somethings are better left unsaid. A lot of these teams tank but they likely don’t tell the players to lose on purpose they just make it difficult for them to win.
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So when Mark Madsen comes off the bench for the Timberwolves to jack 7 three pointers in a game (account for almost have of his total career attempts from deep), going 1 of 15 from the floor, you're telling me the players didn't have a directive?  

 
Bull Dozier said:
Does an owner who is open and honest about his team's strategy affect the integrity of the league more or less than the numerous teams that do the same thing but aren't honest about it?
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It's the NBA. The whole "lying = integrity" shtick doesn't even make their top 10 list. I love basketball. Hate professional wrestling.

 
Bull Dozier said:
So when Mark Madsen comes off the bench for the Timberwolves to jack 7 three pointers in a game (account for almost have of his total career attempts from deep), going 1 of 15 from the floor, you're telling me the players didn't have a directive?  
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I'm by no means trying to defend any form or tanking, the point is you can't have a NBA owner coming out and saying he told his team to lose on purpose because it's better for them. I'm sure you can understand why.

 
Dr. Octopus said:
I'm by no means trying to defend any form or tanking, the point is you can't have a NBA owner coming out and saying he told his team to lose on purpose because it's better for them. I'm sure you can understand why.
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I get why he can't say the words, but to punish him to that extent for something that is common in at least three of the four major sports (I don't watch hockey so I don't know if it is done there).

In baseball, you get 40 man rosters where young players get extended play at the end of the season to get experience and a look at the big league level.  While they aren't actively trying to throw games, they also certainly aren't putting their best lineup on the field.  The win or loss is of secondary concern.

In football, a team out of it may start a rookie, or inexperienced QB once they are out of the playoff picture.  They may "say" the QB wasn't ready at the start of the season, but we all know once they are out of the playoff hunt, getting experience becomes more important than wins.

These two situations are disctinctions without a difference between what goes on in the NBA.  The higher picks in basketball are so much more valuable they tip the scales from not caring if you win to actually wanting to lose.  It's all the same if you're concerned with competitive balance.

 
Its frankly unthinkable to me that he would offer that explanation to keep him. Is there a link to that?  I would think they edges him close to grounds for selling. Can’t believe this guy threw his hat in the political ring with that  kind of thinking 

 
Smack Tripper said:
Its frankly unthinkable to me that he would offer that explanation to keep him. Is there a link to that?  I would think they edges him close to grounds for selling. Can’t believe this guy threw his hat in the political ring with that  kind of thinking 
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I honestly heard it on the radio this morning, they were talking about it. 

Haven't really looked for it. Hard to believe they would just make it up, but I guess it's possible.

 
Cuban and the Mavs are doing their own internal investigation.

Adam Silver and the NBA haven't said if they are going to do their own investigation  :loco:

 
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