60-year-old Robert Sarver, owner of the basketball teams Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, reportedly used the “N-word” in the workplace not once, not twice, but at least five different times. This was discovered through an investigation which involved 320 participants, both past and current employees, and a review of around 80,000 documents. The investigation was conducted due to an ESPN story regarding racism and misogyny in the teams’ workplaces. The probe was led by Wachell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, a New-York based law firm and was commissioned by the NBA.
According to a statement, one of the instances was during a 2016 conversation with coach Earl Watson. Sarver kept on repeating the N-word as he asked them why Draymond Green, a Golden State Warriors player, was allowed to use the derogatory word but he was not. Both Watson and Green are black. Reports also showed that in addition to his racist remarks, Sarver showed disrespectful behavior towards female employees, made negative comments about their appearance, made inappropriate actions towards some male employees, and treated then harshly.
Due to these findings, Sarver, who owned the team since 2004, was suspended for the next year. He will not be allowed to enter NBA and WNBA buildings, attend meetings and events, represent his teams, or be involved in any kind of business or operations in basketball. In Sarver was also fined $10 million. According to the NBA, Sarver was cooperative during the investigation.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that he found the results of the investigation to be “troubling and disappointing.” Many people are confused about the penalties given and believe that the suspension and fine are not enough punishment for what Sarver did.
Sarver said that while he does not agree with some of the points stated in the report, he is sorry for his actions and what he previously said to his employees. He also said that there were instances when his deeds did not “reflect his, or the Suns’ values.” Sarver is tasked to take a program on proper workplace behavior. According to the Suns, they will also implement the recommendations in the report that the NBA provided and make improvements in the workplace.