1 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:06,760 Speaker 1: On this episode of Sports Illustrated Weekly, the NBA suspended 2 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 1: Sons and Mercury owner Robert Sarver for one year and 3 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: finds him ten million dollars for workplace misconduct that included 4 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: racially insensitive language and unequal treatment of women. SI staffer 5 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:21,960 Speaker 1: Rohan nod Kearney joins me to discuss the investigation of Sarver, 6 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 1: his punishment, and where the NBA goes from here. I'm 7 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:30,160 Speaker 1: your host John Gonzalez from Sports Illustrated and I Heart Radio. 8 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:39,760 Speaker 1: This is Sports Illustrated Weekly. Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner 9 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 1: Robert Sarver has been suspended for one year and finds 10 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 1: ten million dollars following an investigation into Sarver after an 11 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 1: ESPN report uncovered a history of racist and sexist comments. 12 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:55,240 Speaker 1: He was disrespectful to his organization, He was disrespectful to women, 13 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: He was disrespectful to African American's well in the full story. 14 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 1: The full picture that is painted in this report is 15 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:08,400 Speaker 1: certainly damning. Rohan, Welcome back to Sports Illustrated Weekly. Thank 16 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 1: you for having me back on, John, It's been you know, 17 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 1: I wish we could be back on the show together. 18 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:16,400 Speaker 1: In more auspicious circumstances. I feel like I invite you 19 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:19,960 Speaker 1: on my podcast all the time, and yet I think 20 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: this is my second SI Weekly Parents your triumphant return. 21 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:26,480 Speaker 1: We do hear you on Open Floor. I pop on 22 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:30,120 Speaker 1: their periodically this topic. I'm sure that we'll be discussing 23 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:32,720 Speaker 1: on the Friday episode of Open Floor. But news broke 24 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 1: this week that the NBA had suspended Sons and Mercury 25 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:37,760 Speaker 1: owner Robert Sarver for one year and find him ten 26 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:41,640 Speaker 1: million dollars. This is after a month's long independent review. 27 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:45,119 Speaker 1: They spoke with three twenty people Rohan, more than eighty 28 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: thousand documents were reviewed. They went back eighteen years and 29 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:51,920 Speaker 1: found that Starver quote engaged in conduct that clearly violated 30 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 1: common workplace standards as reflected in team and league rules 31 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:59,200 Speaker 1: and policies. This conduct included the use of racially insensitive 32 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:02,960 Speaker 1: language on eque, treatment of female employees, sex related statements 33 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: and conduct, and harsh treatment of employees that on occasion 34 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: constituted bullying. In addition to the suspension and fine, Starvin 35 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:14,120 Speaker 1: must now complete a training program focused on respect and 36 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:18,360 Speaker 1: appropriate work place conduct. I think that's probably too little, 37 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:20,760 Speaker 1: too late there. What's your reaction before we get into 38 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:23,640 Speaker 1: the specifics of what he's alleged to do about the 39 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:27,359 Speaker 1: terms of his punishment. I mean, I think, like everybody else, 40 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:30,799 Speaker 1: I'm just completely shocked the NBA drop the baldness. It's 41 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: completely insignificant. The idea that he can sit there, quote unquote, 42 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 1: be suspended, continue to make profits off the suns of 43 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:41,959 Speaker 1: this season. It's a joke, really, John, I'm when we 44 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:44,800 Speaker 1: first had an inkling that the news was coming, the 45 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:47,120 Speaker 1: length of the investigation led me to believe that they 46 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 1: were being really thorough in the event that they needed 47 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:52,640 Speaker 1: to ban him. They needed to have all the evidence 48 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 1: at their disposal, and it seems like they have plenty 49 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 1: of smoking guns here. I think the NBAS punishment was 50 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 1: a joke. I think their statement was a joke. I 51 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:03,120 Speaker 1: know we're gonna get into the incident specifically here, but 52 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:06,399 Speaker 1: in this statement alone, it says we don't believe these 53 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:10,600 Speaker 1: statements were racially motivated something along those lines. It's just pathetic. 54 00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 1: I don't know how the NBA drew the conclusions they 55 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:17,200 Speaker 1: drew from the investigation that they conduct. Here's just a 56 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 1: partial list of stuff that he said or did around 57 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 1: women and even male employees told a pregnant woman, Hey, 58 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:25,040 Speaker 1: you can't really have the same kind of career you're 59 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: gonna have because you know your child needs a mother. 60 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:29,640 Speaker 1: We're gonna have to take you off this event. Talked 61 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 1: about sex acts, talked about condoms, talked about the size 62 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: of his own penis, made comments about the physical appearance 63 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 1: of female staffers, including the son's dancers, dropped his pants 64 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:46,120 Speaker 1: and his underwear while a physical trainer was performing a 65 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:50,400 Speaker 1: fitness examination on him, and the report concluded that he 66 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:55,560 Speaker 1: did none of that out of racial or gender based animus. 67 00:03:56,440 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 1: I'm really shocked by this too, because they have a 68 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:01,280 Speaker 1: preponderance of evidence and then they land on a one 69 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:05,680 Speaker 1: year suspension and a ten million dollar fine, which obviously inequitable. 70 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:08,080 Speaker 1: Among the key findings, on at least five occasions, Sarver 71 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:11,280 Speaker 1: used the N word. Sarver engaged in instances of inequitable 72 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 1: conduct towards female employees, made many sexualated comments in the workplace, 73 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:17,520 Speaker 1: and made inappropriate comments about the physical appearance of female 74 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: employees and other women. On several occasions, he engaged in 75 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 1: inappropriate physical conduct toward male employees, and he engaged in 76 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:26,240 Speaker 1: demeaning and harsh treatment of employees included by yelling and 77 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:29,200 Speaker 1: cursing at them. That's a lot. And then somehow they 78 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 1: land on a one year suspension and like you know, 79 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:35,280 Speaker 1: the NBA fancies itself, Rohan, is this really progressive institution 80 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 1: that's supposed to be tolerant, at least relative to other 81 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:42,960 Speaker 1: sports entities, and yet when it comes to meeting out 82 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:49,000 Speaker 1: punishment or standing up to ownership specifically, it fails consistently. 83 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 1: And this is a really gross violation of it. I mean, 84 00:04:51,839 --> 00:04:54,680 Speaker 1: I think it's so stark too, because part of the 85 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 1: reason that Adam Silver gained let's call it notoriety or 86 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:02,520 Speaker 1: favor were among sports fans was when he came in 87 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:05,360 Speaker 1: how he handled the Donald Sterling situation. And this feels 88 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 1: like the exact opposite of that. That's really kind of 89 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: the elephant in the room is what what has changed 90 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:14,880 Speaker 1: or what has made this different than the Donald Sterling situation. 91 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:16,600 Speaker 1: And I think that is something that's going to be 92 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:19,800 Speaker 1: reported on and discussed in the coming months because it 93 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:21,600 Speaker 1: just doesn't make any sense. I when you hit the 94 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:24,000 Speaker 1: nail on the head, that was very early in his 95 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 1: tenure as commissioner. That was if you think about it 96 00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:31,560 Speaker 1: before we've really had a cultural moment that involved consequences 97 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:34,640 Speaker 1: for people, right. I mean, you know, I remember after 98 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:39,039 Speaker 1: the George Floyd murder where it seemed like corporations were 99 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:41,159 Speaker 1: being held to some kind of different standard and it 100 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:44,400 Speaker 1: being people were feeling forced to change a little bit, 101 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:47,960 Speaker 1: and it was all very awkward and clunky and uncomfortable 102 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:50,800 Speaker 1: and kind of revealing of how these things are not 103 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:53,440 Speaker 1: really about doing what's right. It's about kind of following 104 00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: the money, your public pressure, etcetera. Adam Silver was ahead 105 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:03,159 Speaker 1: of all that with Donald Sterling effective immediately, I am 106 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:09,479 Speaker 1: banning Mr Sterling for life from any association with the 107 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:14,680 Speaker 1: Clippers organization or the NBA. And now it just feels 108 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:17,520 Speaker 1: like we're kind of reverting back to an even worse time, 109 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:19,000 Speaker 1: even the fact that he could only get a one 110 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:22,200 Speaker 1: year suspension and attendingly all fine. I don't know if 111 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:24,359 Speaker 1: there's some kind of legal analysis that needs to be 112 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:29,520 Speaker 1: done here and there's something that's protecting Robert Sarver, or 113 00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:32,520 Speaker 1: maybe he even knows something that's protecting him, But it's 114 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:36,280 Speaker 1: it's very strange in kind of this time where it 115 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:39,440 Speaker 1: people are at least pretending to have a heightened sensitivity, 116 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:41,919 Speaker 1: whether they have it or not, that the NBA is 117 00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:44,640 Speaker 1: whiffing so hard here. If you think about it, John, 118 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:47,120 Speaker 1: Let's say this news came out about Adam Silver. Let's 119 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:50,720 Speaker 1: say we found out hypothetically, of course Adam Silver used 120 00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:55,480 Speaker 1: the N word five times, Adam Silver's emailing porn to people, etcetera. 121 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:58,640 Speaker 1: There is not a chance that Adam Silver keeps his 122 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:01,800 Speaker 1: job in that situation. It's not a chance anybody any 123 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:04,000 Speaker 1: other level of the NBA keeps their job if they're 124 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:07,560 Speaker 1: doing the things that the NBA found out Robert Sarver 125 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:10,360 Speaker 1: was doing. So the fact that he's able to continue 126 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:12,400 Speaker 1: to own the team, it just doesn't make any sense. 127 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:17,000 Speaker 1: It doesn't. And you hit on something there earlier about 128 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:20,080 Speaker 1: consequences and how it felt like we had reached a point, 129 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:22,840 Speaker 1: especially with Donald Sterling, where there would be consequences for 130 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: actions that were this agreed, just especially for privileged, white 131 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:30,680 Speaker 1: rich men who previously didn't have to face those consequences, 132 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:32,440 Speaker 1: and now it feels like we're going in the other direction. 133 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:34,360 Speaker 1: I want to get into some of these specifics here 134 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:38,880 Speaker 1: because they are really over the top. Hundred individuals Rohan 135 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:42,520 Speaker 1: one hundred witness, Sarver statements or actions that were deemed inappropriate. 136 00:07:42,560 --> 00:07:45,200 Speaker 1: Of the five times Sarver repeatedly used the N word, 137 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 1: four came after he was told by black and white 138 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:50,560 Speaker 1: employees to stop doing it and that he shouldn't do 139 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:52,840 Speaker 1: it even when he's just repeating somebody. He told a 140 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:56,920 Speaker 1: female employee that women cry too much. Twelve witnesses recall 141 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:00,200 Speaker 1: Sarver making a reference at an all employee meeting to 142 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:04,480 Speaker 1: a specific sex act. Nineteen witnesses recall him talking about 143 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 1: a specific type of condom. There's even more graphics stuff 144 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:11,320 Speaker 1: about him walking into a room naked and telling a 145 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:13,560 Speaker 1: male and a female employee who were in the room 146 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:15,240 Speaker 1: at the time, that the woman should leave the room 147 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:17,920 Speaker 1: because she had never seen anything like that before, and 148 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 1: on and on and on. Donald Sterling was rightly pushed 149 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:24,720 Speaker 1: out for things that were not dissimilar to this. Now 150 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:27,360 Speaker 1: there was a tape, so maybe that went a certain 151 00:08:27,400 --> 00:08:31,280 Speaker 1: distance towards pushing him out. But it absolutely floors me 152 00:08:31,760 --> 00:08:35,080 Speaker 1: that Robert Sarver, ostensibly, unless they decided to push him 153 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:37,400 Speaker 1: out during this one year's suspension, will be able to 154 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:40,920 Speaker 1: return to business as usual in one year's time. And 155 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:43,440 Speaker 1: let's not forget that he presided over a culture of 156 00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:48,079 Speaker 1: this stuff going back eighteen years. This investigation found that 157 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:51,640 Speaker 1: other misconduct, racial insensitivity, in mistreatment of female employees, and 158 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:56,600 Speaker 1: appropriate comments on sex or sexual orientation spanned almost two decades, 159 00:08:57,360 --> 00:08:59,679 Speaker 1: and for that two decades of conduct, he gets one 160 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:03,240 Speaker 1: year off. I don't understand how that makes any sense 161 00:09:03,280 --> 00:09:08,800 Speaker 1: to anyone anywhere. It's really really baffling. You know, I 162 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:10,839 Speaker 1: wish I had pulled it up before we record it, 163 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:13,760 Speaker 1: but I'm sure, I promise you the songs again. There 164 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:15,760 Speaker 1: was that era, and I know it's kind of a 165 00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:18,760 Speaker 1: an uncomfortable flashpoint to bring up, but there was that time, 166 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:21,160 Speaker 1: and there was no NBA going on. It was before 167 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:24,200 Speaker 1: the bubble. You know, there's protests in the street every 168 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:35,320 Speaker 1: day or every single NBA team, I think literally every 169 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:37,240 Speaker 1: single one except the Knicks, who maybe did it last. 170 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:40,439 Speaker 1: Every single NBA team released a statement, Oh, we condemn 171 00:09:40,559 --> 00:09:43,079 Speaker 1: racism and all its forms, we stand against racism, blah 172 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:45,800 Speaker 1: blah blah. And now you're just seeing how empty all 173 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:48,160 Speaker 1: those things are. And I think the NBA has to 174 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:51,880 Speaker 1: accept that whatever gestures they make are going to feel 175 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:55,480 Speaker 1: empty now. You know, whatever gestures they make, corporate decisions 176 00:09:55,480 --> 00:09:57,880 Speaker 1: that they make that say, Hey, you know, we really 177 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:00,360 Speaker 1: want women involved in our game. You know, the NBA 178 00:10:00,480 --> 00:10:02,760 Speaker 1: really wants a woman to be a head coach of 179 00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:05,120 Speaker 1: an NBA team. What woman would ever be the head 180 00:10:05,160 --> 00:10:08,079 Speaker 1: coach of the Phoenix Suns listening to some of these 181 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:11,920 Speaker 1: comments robertsrver would make, Again, it's a weird situation. They're 182 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:14,280 Speaker 1: one of the few teams that has a black GM 183 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:16,960 Speaker 1: and a black coach. But how do they feel seeing 184 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:19,640 Speaker 1: these statements throwing Roberts Harbor is saying things like this 185 00:10:19,679 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 1: all the time. I do think there's a degree that, Frankly, 186 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:25,560 Speaker 1: I think people in and around the league, in and 187 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:29,240 Speaker 1: around society are used to people of Robert Harber's stature 188 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:31,960 Speaker 1: acting this way and getting away with it. I think 189 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:34,000 Speaker 1: that's part of the problem here is we've kind of 190 00:10:34,040 --> 00:10:37,320 Speaker 1: created an environment where people with that much money can 191 00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:40,600 Speaker 1: live without consequences. But this was an opportunity for the 192 00:10:40,679 --> 00:10:43,680 Speaker 1: NBA to begin to change that paradigm even a little bit. Yeah, 193 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:47,080 Speaker 1: I mean it's quite clear that the hypocrisy has been 194 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:50,520 Speaker 1: laid bare, not just in this instance but previously. At 195 00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:53,560 Speaker 1: my last job, I did a story where I dug 196 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:56,400 Speaker 1: through FBC records over five years to look at the 197 00:10:56,400 --> 00:10:59,040 Speaker 1: political donations of NBA owners, and this was during the 198 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:02,880 Speaker 1: Black Lives Matter protests, the George Floyd murder protests, and 199 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:04,880 Speaker 1: you have Black Lives Matter on the court, and you have, 200 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:08,040 Speaker 1: as you mentioned, all teams issuing statements and saying that 201 00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:10,040 Speaker 1: they want to stop Hay and they stand with the players, 202 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:12,360 Speaker 1: but they have repeatedly shown through their actions that they 203 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:14,960 Speaker 1: do not. Because you can say, oh, we stand with 204 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:17,960 Speaker 1: the players, and we want policing reform, and we want 205 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:21,200 Speaker 1: social justice and we want racial equality, but you have 206 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:24,839 Speaker 1: say owners, the predominant number of owners in the NBA 207 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:28,640 Speaker 1: donating to a Republican Party, heavy amounts of money that 208 00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:32,120 Speaker 1: enforce or put into place policies that are in direct 209 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:36,080 Speaker 1: conflict with what they're saying. For example, the Orlando Magic 210 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:39,120 Speaker 1: issued a statement as well after George Floyd, and then 211 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:42,440 Speaker 1: a couple of weeks later, the DeVos family donated two 212 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:45,960 Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollars to the Republican Party and Trump, which 213 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:49,559 Speaker 1: is a group that was directly fighting the George Floyd 214 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:52,360 Speaker 1: Justice and Policing Act that was put forth by Karen 215 00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:54,560 Speaker 1: Bass that got stalled in the Senate. So you can say, oh, 216 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:57,280 Speaker 1: we want to stop. Hey, we've got Black Lives Matter 217 00:11:57,320 --> 00:12:00,000 Speaker 1: on the court, but the actual policies that your support 218 00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:03,680 Speaker 1: are in direct contrast and conflict with what you're saying. 219 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:06,400 Speaker 1: So the lip service is really ridiculous here, and we're 220 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:10,880 Speaker 1: seeing it again. I want to bring up the money 221 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:13,440 Speaker 1: component here because I think it's important. The NBA says 222 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:16,520 Speaker 1: it will donate his fine two organizations that are dedicated 223 00:12:16,559 --> 00:12:19,000 Speaker 1: to addressing race and gender based issues in and out 224 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:22,320 Speaker 1: of the workplace. Here again, pretty gross lip service because 225 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:25,520 Speaker 1: that's the maximum amount permitted by the NBA constitution and 226 00:12:25,559 --> 00:12:28,360 Speaker 1: by laws. And it sounds like a lot, right, except 227 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:31,960 Speaker 1: the team is worth one point eight billion. Various reports 228 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:36,520 Speaker 1: peg Starver's net worth at eight hundred million. This season alone, 229 00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:40,280 Speaker 1: Jay Crowder, Michail Bridges, Chris Paul, DeAndre Ayton, and Devin 230 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:42,480 Speaker 1: Booker will all make more than ten million dollars, and 231 00:12:42,559 --> 00:12:47,200 Speaker 1: Landry Shammitt and Dario Sarich will make almost ten million dollars. 232 00:12:47,240 --> 00:12:50,600 Speaker 1: My whole point here is that Starver can afford this right, 233 00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 1: This doesn't hurt him in any meaningful way. Sitting out 234 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:55,840 Speaker 1: a year does not hurt him in any meaningful way. 235 00:12:56,040 --> 00:12:59,000 Speaker 1: And on top of that, according to woj and Baxter 236 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:02,680 Speaker 1: Homes of ESPN and Starver may have cooperated with the investigation, 237 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:05,520 Speaker 1: but he was quote unaccepting of the idea that he 238 00:13:05,559 --> 00:13:08,200 Speaker 1: deserved a one year suspension and a ten million dollar fine. 239 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:12,679 Speaker 1: So not only are these punishments insufficient, not only are 240 00:13:12,679 --> 00:13:16,040 Speaker 1: these punishments not painful to him in any meaningful way. 241 00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:19,360 Speaker 1: It doesn't look like it's registered at all. He doesn't 242 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:23,079 Speaker 1: think that he deserved any of this. He's long been 243 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:25,040 Speaker 1: known as kind of one of the worst owners in 244 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:26,960 Speaker 1: the league. I mean, that's just do in large parts 245 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:28,600 Speaker 1: of the way he's doing his team, which has often 246 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:31,840 Speaker 1: been cheap. Of course, there was the famous Kevin Arnovit's 247 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:34,120 Speaker 1: story that he wants, let I think, let a goat 248 00:13:34,200 --> 00:13:38,560 Speaker 1: defecate in his general manager's office. Just clearly out of 249 00:13:38,559 --> 00:13:43,959 Speaker 1: touch with reality. I know multiple former Phoenix Suns players. 250 00:13:44,559 --> 00:13:47,200 Speaker 1: None of this surprised any of them. When the story 251 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:49,400 Speaker 1: came out from back to around, it was like, oh, yeah, 252 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:51,800 Speaker 1: that sounds about right. They didn't get everything in the report, 253 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 1: They just got what people were willing to tell them, 254 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:57,080 Speaker 1: because I know that there were so much more. Obviously, 255 00:13:57,120 --> 00:13:59,080 Speaker 1: the NBA is not who he should be looking to 256 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:02,200 Speaker 1: ultimately to saw all these kind of great, bigger societal issues. 257 00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:05,360 Speaker 1: I think that they bear some responsibility, especially because they've 258 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:07,960 Speaker 1: kind of thrown themselves into this public arena and try 259 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:11,160 Speaker 1: to position themselves as a league that is kind of 260 00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:13,920 Speaker 1: on the forefront of these issues that cares about things 261 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:18,320 Speaker 1: like social justice, racial inequality, etcetera. But that just makes 262 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 1: it all the more shocking to me that you know, 263 00:14:21,280 --> 00:14:22,800 Speaker 1: you talk to me when they say, well, couldn't you 264 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:25,600 Speaker 1: find out stuff like this about any owner or any 265 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:28,920 Speaker 1: of these workplaces? Some kind of utopia? Maybe not, But 266 00:14:29,280 --> 00:14:31,880 Speaker 1: when you're kind of given a softball like this one, 267 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:33,840 Speaker 1: like a meatball right over the heart of the plate, 268 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:38,640 Speaker 1: given all this evidence, so many past workers willing to 269 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:41,920 Speaker 1: speak out, you're just giving such an easy opportunity to 270 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:45,680 Speaker 1: get rid of the guy that it sounds silly, but 271 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:47,560 Speaker 1: it really does make you almost want to put your 272 00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:49,920 Speaker 1: conspiracy hat on, like what's going on here that they 273 00:14:49,920 --> 00:14:52,040 Speaker 1: can't get rid of this guy when they have all 274 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:54,560 Speaker 1: this evidence that he's a terrible person. And I can't 275 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:57,840 Speaker 1: stress enough that if any other person at any other 276 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:01,640 Speaker 1: level of the NBA is done half the things Robert 277 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:03,800 Speaker 1: Sarver's accused. If there's no way they're keeping their job 278 00:15:04,520 --> 00:15:07,880 Speaker 1: and holding your owners to above consequence, I think is 279 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:12,600 Speaker 1: a terrible precedent to set. Yeah. Not surprisingly, as I mentioned, 280 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:15,720 Speaker 1: ESPN reported that the punitive part of the process became 281 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:20,480 Speaker 1: largely acrimonious, with the Sarver pushing back. Quite clearly, when 282 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:23,400 Speaker 1: you're an NBA owner, unless you're Donald Sterling, you know 283 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:25,200 Speaker 1: you can get away with a lot of these things. 284 00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:27,560 Speaker 1: Although I wonder where do you think this ends up? 285 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:31,320 Speaker 1: Because Al Sharpton and various organizations weighed in on this 286 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:34,800 Speaker 1: and we're really up in arms about this being insufficient. 287 00:15:35,200 --> 00:15:38,040 Speaker 1: Do you think over the next year that behind the 288 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:40,920 Speaker 1: scenes they are pushing him to sell or do you 289 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:44,480 Speaker 1: anticipate that any year's time, Robert Sarver, despite having done 290 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:47,080 Speaker 1: all of this that we outlined over the last almost 291 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:51,960 Speaker 1: two decades, this isn't just like limited isolated behavior, but 292 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:54,640 Speaker 1: a pattern over two decades. Do you think we'll see 293 00:15:54,680 --> 00:15:58,680 Speaker 1: him back in the NBA. I don't have a lot 294 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:00,640 Speaker 1: of faith that he's going to be pushed out, only 295 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:05,160 Speaker 1: because as you mentioned one, he's really stubborn. He he 296 00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:07,040 Speaker 1: didn't want to accept this punishment. He didn't want to 297 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:10,200 Speaker 1: accept the fine. I'm sure he would welcome a legal 298 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:13,400 Speaker 1: fight at this point. Also the fact that again they 299 00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:15,120 Speaker 1: had all this evidence didn't try to kick him out 300 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:16,560 Speaker 1: right away. I do think there's gonna be a lot 301 00:16:16,600 --> 00:16:19,120 Speaker 1: of public pressure, and I don't think that this is 302 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:21,520 Speaker 1: going to go away. You know, whenever Adam Silver's next 303 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:23,800 Speaker 1: media availabilities, for example, he's going to be asked a 304 00:16:23,800 --> 00:16:26,200 Speaker 1: lot of questions about this. I think everybody in this 305 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:28,280 Speaker 1: room would agree that if any of us had said 306 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:30,320 Speaker 1: or done even a small percentage of the things that 307 00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:32,960 Speaker 1: Robert Sarver has been shown to have said and done, 308 00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:35,960 Speaker 1: we would be fired. Why should there be a different 309 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:37,640 Speaker 1: standard for the owner of an NBA team than there 310 00:16:37,680 --> 00:16:42,200 Speaker 1: would be for everybody who works in this league? Fair question. 311 00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:46,400 Speaker 1: I'd only say there are particular rights here of someone 312 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:50,040 Speaker 1: who owns an NBA team as to some as opposed 313 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:53,120 Speaker 1: to somebody who's an employee. I don't have a lot 314 00:16:53,160 --> 00:16:55,240 Speaker 1: of faith that he's going to be pushed out, but 315 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:58,040 Speaker 1: I do think that the public pressure will consider it amount. 316 00:16:58,040 --> 00:17:00,800 Speaker 1: I mean, you have former Sons employees tweeting about how 317 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:03,320 Speaker 1: upset they were and how long the process was the 318 00:17:03,440 --> 00:17:06,239 Speaker 1: NBA made them relive all these traumas dragged them through 319 00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:09,679 Speaker 1: all these interviews. I mean, this investigation took many, many months. 320 00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:12,920 Speaker 1: I think those people aren't going to just remain quiet 321 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:15,000 Speaker 1: now and kind of wipe their hands in and say, oh, well, 322 00:17:15,040 --> 00:17:17,199 Speaker 1: he's been suspended for only one year. So I do 323 00:17:17,320 --> 00:17:20,640 Speaker 1: think there'll be hopefully more stories, hopefully more public pressure, 324 00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:23,640 Speaker 1: because I don't think the NBA should just be able 325 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:26,200 Speaker 1: to kind of wipe their hands clean of this. Yeah, 326 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:27,960 Speaker 1: well I don't. I don't think they'll be able to. 327 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:30,199 Speaker 1: As you mentioned, this is a topic that is not 328 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:32,359 Speaker 1: going away. A lot of people like us will be 329 00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:35,680 Speaker 1: asking the NBA and Adam Silver about this certainly over 330 00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:39,000 Speaker 1: the next year. Uh. Listen to him on Open Floor, 331 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:42,639 Speaker 1: read him on SI dot com. Rohan Canny, thank you 332 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:55,399 Speaker 1: for this any time, John. Sports Illustrated Weekly is a 333 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:58,720 Speaker 1: production of Sports Illustrated and I Heart Radio. For more 334 00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:01,720 Speaker 1: podcasts from My Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, 335 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:05,560 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows. And 336 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:08,160 Speaker 1: for more of Sports Illustrated, its best stories and podcasts, 337 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:12,160 Speaker 1: visit SI dot com. This episode of Sports Illustrated Weekly 338 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:15,800 Speaker 1: was produced by Jordan Rozsieri, Jessica Armoski and Isaac Lee, 339 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:19,439 Speaker 1: who was also our sound engineer. Our senior producers are 340 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:22,800 Speaker 1: Dan Bloom and Harry sward Out. Our executive producers are 341 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:26,399 Speaker 1: Scott Brody and me John Gonzalez. Our theme song is 342 00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:27,320 Speaker 1: by Nolan Schneider.