Robert Sarver Is Suspended. Is That Enough?

This is Sports Illustrated Weekly. Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner Robert Sarver has been suspended for one year and finds ten million dollars following an investigation into Sarver after an ESPN report uncovered a history of racist and sexist comments. He was disrespectful to his organization, He was disrespectful to women, He was disrespectful to African American's well in the full story. The full picture that is painted in this report is

certainly damning. Rohan, Welcome back to Sports Illustrated Weekly. Thank you for having me back on, John, It's been you know, I wish we could be back on the show together. In more auspicious circumstances. I feel like I invite you on my podcast all the time, and yet I think this is my second SI Weekly Parents your triumphant return. We do hear you on Open Floor. I pop on their periodically this topic. I'm sure that we'll be discussing

on the Friday episode of Open Floor. But news broke this week that the NBA had suspended Sons and Mercury owner Robert Sarver for one year and find him ten million dollars. This is after a month's long independent review. They spoke with three twenty people Rohan, more than eighty thousand documents were reviewed. They went back eighteen years and found that Starver quote 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 on eque, treatment of female employees, sex related statements and conduct, and harsh treatment of employees that on occasion constituted bullying. In addition to the suspension and fine, Starvin must now complete a training program focused on respect and appropriate work place conduct. I think that's probably too little,

too late there. What's your reaction before we get into the specifics of what he's alleged to do about the terms of his punishment. I mean, I think, like everybody else, I'm just completely shocked the NBA drop the baldness. It's completely insignificant. The idea that he can sit there, quote unquote, be suspended, continue to make profits off the suns of

this season. It's a joke, really, John, I'm when we first had an inkling that the news was coming, the length of the investigation led me to believe that they were being really thorough in the event that they needed to ban him. They needed to have all the evidence at their disposal, and it seems like they have plenty of smoking guns here. I think the NBAS punishment was

a joke. I think their statement was a joke. I know we're gonna get into the incident specifically here, but in this statement alone, it says we don't believe these statements were racially motivated something along those lines. It's just pathetic. I don't know how the NBA drew the conclusions they

drew from the investigation that they conduct. Here's just a partial list of stuff that he said or did around women and even male employees told a pregnant woman, Hey, you can't really have the same kind of career you're gonna have because you know your child needs a mother.

We're gonna have to take you off this event. Talked about sex acts, talked about condoms, talked about the size of his own penis, made comments about the physical appearance of female staffers, including the son's dancers, dropped his pants and his underwear while a physical trainer was performing a fitness examination on him, and the report concluded that he did none of that out of racial or gender based animus.

I'm really shocked by this too, because they have a preponderance of evidence and then they land on a one year suspension and a ten million dollar fine, which obviously inequitable. Among the key findings, on at least five occasions, Sarver used the N word. Sarver engaged in instances of inequitable conduct towards female employees, made many sexualated comments in the workplace, and made inappropriate comments about the physical appearance of female

employees and other women. On several occasions, he engaged in inappropriate physical conduct toward male employees, and he engaged in demeaning and harsh treatment of employees included by yelling and

cursing at them. That's a lot. And then somehow they land on a one year suspension and like you know, the NBA fancies itself, Rohan, is this really progressive institution that's supposed to be tolerant, at least relative to other sports entities, and yet when it comes to meeting out punishment or standing up to ownership specifically, it fails consistently.

And this is a really gross violation of it. I mean, I think it's so stark too, because part of the reason that Adam Silver gained let's call it notoriety or favor were among sports fans was when he came in how he handled the Donald Sterling situation. And this feels like the exact opposite of that. That's really kind of the elephant in the room is what what has changed or what has made this different than the Donald Sterling situation.

And I think that is something that's going to be reported on and discussed in the coming months because it just doesn't make any sense. I when you hit the nail on the head, that was very early in his tenure as commissioner. That was if you think about it before we've really had a cultural moment that involved consequences

for people, right. I mean, you know, I remember after the George Floyd murder where it seemed like corporations were being held to some kind of different standard and it being people were feeling forced to change a little bit, and it was all very awkward and clunky and uncomfortable and kind of revealing of how these things are not really about doing what's right. It's about kind of following

the money, your public pressure, etcetera. Adam Silver was ahead of all that with Donald Sterling effective immediately, I am banning Mr Sterling for life from any association with the Clippers organization or the NBA. And now it just feels like we're kind of reverting back to an even worse time, even the fact that he could only get a one

year suspension and attendingly all fine. I don't know if there's some kind of legal analysis that needs to be done here and there's something that's protecting Robert Sarver, or maybe he even knows something that's protecting him, But it's it's very strange in kind of this time where it people are at least pretending to have a heightened sensitivity, whether they have it or not, that the NBA is whiffing so hard here. If you think about it, John,

Let's say this news came out about Adam Silver. Let's say we found out hypothetically, of course Adam Silver used the N word five times, Adam Silver's emailing porn to people, etcetera. There is not a chance that Adam Silver keeps his job in that situation. It's not a chance anybody any other level of the NBA keeps their job if they're doing the things that the NBA found out Robert Sarver was doing. So the fact that he's able to continue to own the team, it just doesn't make any sense.

It doesn't. And you hit on something there earlier about consequences and how it felt like we had reached a point, especially with Donald Sterling, where there would be consequences for actions that were this agreed, just especially for privileged, white rich men who previously didn't have to face those consequences, and now it feels like we're going in the other direction. I want to get into some of these specifics here

because they are really over the top. Hundred individuals Rohan one hundred witness, Sarver statements or actions that were deemed inappropriate. Of the five times Sarver repeatedly used the N word, four came after he was told by black and white employees to stop doing it and that he shouldn't do it even when he's just repeating somebody. He told a female employee that women cry too much. Twelve witnesses recall Sarver making a reference at an all employee meeting to

a specific sex act. Nineteen witnesses recall him talking about a specific type of condom. There's even more graphics stuff about him walking into a room naked and telling a male and a female employee who were in the room at the time, that the woman should leave the room because she had never seen anything like that before, and on and on and on. Donald Sterling was rightly pushed out for things that were not dissimilar to this. Now there was a tape, so maybe that went a certain

distance towards pushing him out. But it absolutely floors me that Robert Sarver, ostensibly, unless they decided to push him out during this one year's suspension, will be able to return to business as usual in one year's time. And let's not forget that he presided over a culture of

this stuff going back eighteen years. This investigation found that other misconduct, racial insensitivity, in mistreatment of female employees, and appropriate comments on sex or sexual orientation spanned almost two decades, and for that two decades of conduct, he gets one year off. I don't understand how that makes any sense to anyone anywhere. It's really really baffling. You know, I wish I had pulled it up before we record it,

but I'm sure, I promise you the songs again. There was that era, and I know it's kind of a an uncomfortable flashpoint to bring up, but there was that time, and there was no NBA going on. It was before the bubble. You know, there's protests in the street every day or every single NBA team, I think literally every single one except the Knicks, who maybe did it last. Every single NBA team released a statement, Oh, we condemn racism and all its forms, we stand against racism, blah

blah blah. And now you're just seeing how empty all those things are. And I think the NBA has to accept that whatever gestures they make are going to feel empty now. You know, whatever gestures they make, corporate decisions that they make that say, Hey, you know, we really want women involved in our game. You know, the NBA really wants a woman to be a head coach of an NBA team. What woman would ever be the head coach of the Phoenix Suns listening to some of these

comments robertsrver would make, Again, it's a weird situation. They're one of the few teams that has a black GM and a black coach. But how do they feel seeing these statements throwing Roberts Harbor is saying things like this all the time. I do think there's a degree that, Frankly, I think people in and around the league, in and around society are used to people of Robert Harber's stature

acting this way and getting away with it. I think that's part of the problem here is we've kind of created an environment where people with that much money can live without consequences. But this was an opportunity for the NBA to begin to change that paradigm even a little bit. Yeah, I mean it's quite clear that the hypocrisy has been

laid bare, not just in this instance but previously. At my last job, I did a story where I dug through FBC records over five years to look at the political donations of NBA owners, and this was during the Black Lives Matter protests, the George Floyd murder protests, and you have Black Lives Matter on the court, and you have, as you mentioned, all teams issuing statements and saying that they want to stop Hay and they stand with the players,

but they have repeatedly shown through their actions that they do not. Because you can say, oh, we stand with the players, and we want policing reform, and we want social justice and we want racial equality, but you have say owners, the predominant number of owners in the NBA donating to a Republican Party, heavy amounts of money that enforce or put into place policies that are in direct

conflict with what they're saying. For example, the Orlando Magic issued a statement as well after George Floyd, and then a couple of weeks later, the DeVos family donated two hundred thousand dollars to the Republican Party and Trump, which is a group that was directly fighting the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act that was put forth by Karen Bass that got stalled in the Senate. So you can say, oh,

we want to stop. Hey, we've got Black Lives Matter on the court, but the actual policies that your support are in direct contrast and conflict with what you're saying. So the lip service is really ridiculous here, and we're seeing it again. I want to bring up the money component here because I think it's important. The NBA says it will donate his fine two organizations that are dedicated to addressing race and gender based issues in and out

of the workplace. Here again, pretty gross lip service because that's the maximum amount permitted by the NBA constitution and by laws. And it sounds like a lot, right, except the team is worth one point eight billion. Various reports peg Starver's net worth at eight hundred million. This season alone, Jay Crowder, Michail Bridges, Chris Paul, DeAndre Ayton, and Devin Booker will all make more than ten million dollars, and Landry Shammitt and Dario Sarich will make almost ten million dollars.

My whole point here is that Starver can afford this right, This doesn't hurt him in any meaningful way. Sitting out a year does not hurt him in any meaningful way. And on top of that, according to woj and Baxter Homes of ESPN and Starver may have cooperated with the investigation, but he was quote unaccepting of the idea that he deserved a one year suspension and a ten million dollar fine.

So not only are these punishments insufficient, not only are these punishments not painful to him in any meaningful way. It doesn't look like it's registered at all. He doesn't think that he deserved any of this. He's long been known as kind of one of the worst owners in the league. I mean, that's just do in large parts of the way he's doing his team, which has often been cheap. Of course, there was the famous Kevin Arnovit's story that he wants, let I think, let a goat

defecate in his general manager's office. Just clearly out of touch with reality. I know multiple former Phoenix Suns players. None of this surprised any of them. When the story came out from back to around, it was like, oh, yeah, that sounds about right. They didn't get everything in the report, They just got what people were willing to tell them,

because I know that there were so much more. Obviously, the NBA is not who he should be looking to ultimately to saw all these kind of great, bigger societal issues. I think that they bear some responsibility, especially because they've kind of thrown themselves into this public arena and try to position themselves as a league that is kind of on the forefront of these issues that cares about things

like social justice, racial inequality, etcetera. But that just makes it all the more shocking to me that you know, you talk to me when they say, well, couldn't you find out stuff like this about any owner or any

of these workplaces? Some kind of utopia? Maybe not, But when you're kind of given a softball like this one, like a meatball right over the heart of the plate, given all this evidence, so many past workers willing to speak out, you're just giving such an easy opportunity to get rid of the guy that it sounds silly, but it really does make you almost want to put your conspiracy hat on, like what's going on here that they can't get rid of this guy when they have all

this evidence that he's a terrible person. And I can't stress enough that if any other person at any other level of the NBA is done half the things Robert Sarver's accused. If there's no way they're keeping their job and holding your owners to above consequence, I think is a terrible precedent to set. Yeah. Not surprisingly, as I mentioned, ESPN reported that the punitive part of the process became

largely acrimonious, with the Sarver pushing back. Quite clearly, when you're an NBA owner, unless you're Donald Sterling, you know you can get away with a lot of these things. Although I wonder where do you think this ends up? Because Al Sharpton and various organizations weighed in on this and we're really up in arms about this being insufficient.

Do you think over the next year that behind the scenes they are pushing him to sell or do you anticipate that any year's time, Robert Sarver, despite having done all of this that we outlined over the last almost two decades, this isn't just like limited isolated behavior, but a pattern over two decades. Do you think we'll see him back in the NBA. I don't have a lot of faith that he's going to be pushed out, only because as you mentioned one, he's really stubborn. He he

didn't want to accept this punishment. He didn't want to accept the fine. I'm sure he would welcome a legal fight at this point. Also the fact that again they had all this evidence didn't try to kick him out right away. I do think there's gonna be a lot of public pressure, and I don't think that this is going to go away. You know, whenever Adam Silver's next media availabilities, for example, he's going to be asked a

lot of questions about this. I think everybody in this room would agree that if any of us had said or done even a small percentage of the things that Robert Sarver has been shown to have said and done, we would be fired. Why should there be a different standard for the owner of an NBA team than there would be for everybody who works in this league? Fair question. I'd only say there are particular rights here of someone who owns an NBA team as to some as opposed

to somebody who's an employee. I don't have a lot of faith that he's going to be pushed out, but I do think that the public pressure will consider it amount. I mean, you have former Sons employees tweeting about how upset they were and how long the process was the NBA made them relive all these traumas dragged them through all these interviews. I mean, this investigation took many, many months.

I think those people aren't going to just remain quiet now and kind of wipe their hands in and say, oh, well, he's been suspended for only one year. So I do think there'll be hopefully more stories, hopefully more public pressure, because I don't think the NBA should just be able to kind of wipe their hands clean of this. Yeah, well I don't. I don't think they'll be able to. As you mentioned, this is a topic that is not

going away. A lot of people like us will be asking the NBA and Adam Silver about this certainly over the next year. Uh. Listen to him on Open Floor, read him on SI dot com. Rohan Canny, thank you for this any time, John. Sports Illustrated Weekly is a production of Sports Illustrated and I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from My Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows. And for more of Sports Illustrated, its best stories and podcasts,

visit SI dot com. This episode of Sports Illustrated Weekly was produced by Jordan Rozsieri, Jessica Armoski and Isaac Lee, who was also our sound engineer. Our senior producers are Dan Bloom and Harry sward Out. Our executive producers are Scott Brody and me John Gonzalez. Our theme song is by Nolan Schneider.