JUST IN: NBA Suspends Phoenix Suns Owner for a Year, Fines Him $10 Million For Racist, Misogynistic Behavior

The NBA has suspended Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver for one year and fined him $10 million following an investigation that found that he expressed racist and misogynistic behavior over an 18-year span.

The NBA interviewed 320 people, including current and former employees who have worked for the Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, which Sarver also owns. Most of the employees interviewed are no longer with their former employer, according to an NBA statement on Tuesday.

The investigation, according to the NBA, found that Sarver “engaged in conduct that clearly violated common workplace standards, as reflected in team and League rules and policies. This conduct included the use of racially insensitive language; unequal treatment of female employees; sex-related statements and conduct; and harsh treatment of employees that on occasion constituted bullying.”

For example, Sarver used the n-word on at least five occasions as Suns/Mercury owner and quoted the n-word “when recounting the statements of others,” according to the league.

Additionally, according to the NBA, “Sarver 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.”

Moreover, “Sarver engaged in demeaning and harsh treatment of employees, including by yelling and cursing at them,” according to the association.

“[M]ore than 80,000 documents and other materials, including emails, text messages and videos” were reviewed, according to the NBA.

Sarver, according to the NBA, “informed the investigators of his personal and professional efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, including hiring practices at the Suns/Mercury organization and contributions to social and racial justice causes.”

In addition to the suspension and fine, the NBA handed out other punishments to Sarver. During his suspension, Sarver must “complete a training program focused on respect and appropriate conduct in the workplace.”

The NBA also handed out requirements for the Suns and Mercury to complete including:

• Retaining an outside firm to evaluate and make recommendations with respect to workplace training programs, policies and procedures, and hiring and compensation practices — with a focus on fostering a diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace.

• Conducting regular and anonymous workplace culture surveys and responding to survey results with specific action plans.

• Immediately reporting to the league any instances or allegations of significant misconduct by any employee.

• For a period of three years, providing the league with regular reports related to steps taken by the organization to address these requirements.

• Following league direction for remediation/improvement of workplace issues if/as they arise.

In a statement, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said:

The statements and conduct described in the findings of the independent investigation are troubling and disappointing. We believe the outcome is the right one, taking into account all the facts, circumstances and context brought to light by the comprehensive investigation of this 18-year period and our commitment to upholding proper standards in NBA workplaces.

I am hopeful that the NBA community will use this opportunity to reflect on what this great game means to people everywhere and the values of equality, respect and inclusion that it strives to represent. Regardless of position, power or intent, we all need to recognize the corrosive and hurtful impact of racially insensitive and demeaning language and behavior. On behalf of the entire NBA, I apologize to all of those impacted by the misconduct outlined in the investigators’ report. We must do better.

In a statement, the Suns said they are “committed to creating a safe, respectful, and inclusive work environment that is free of discrimination and harassment” and that the investigation’s findings “have been addressed in recent years, including through meaningful enhancements to our workplace compliance program.”

The Suns said they have taken steps to improve its workplace including “hiring new HR leadership, updating our employee handbook to clearly define our expectations for appropriate workplace behavior, adopting a strong code of conduct, instituting robust processes to report misconduct, and holding trainings on respect in the workplace and our corresponding policies and procedures.”

In a Suns statement, Sarver disagreed with the course of action taken by the NBA against him, but he apologized for his actions.

“While I disagree with some of the particulars of the NBA’s report, I would like to apologize for my words and actions that offended our employees,” he said. “I take full responsibility for what I have done. I am sorry for causing this pain, and these errors in judgment are not consistent with my personal philosophy or my values.”

The NBA said it will donate the $10 million it gets from the fine to “organizations that are committed to addressing race and gender-based issues in and outside the workplace.”

ESPN published a bombshell investigation in November about Sarver’s racism and misogyny during his tenure as owner of the Suns and Mercury.

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