NBA commissioner Adam Silver is going out of his way this week to apologize to employees of the Phoenix Suns.
ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reported on Friday that Silver addressed hundreds of Suns employees prior to Wednesday’s season opener against Dallas and apologized multiple times. Silver was apologizing on behalf of the league office for the years of workplace misconduct that the employees endured under owner Robert Sarver, Holmes adds.
“I’m incredibly empathetic to what many of you have lived through,” Silver was quoted as saying, “To the extent that you feel let down by the league, I apologize. I take responsibility for that.”
Silver, who reportedly addressed the group for nearly an hour, also said that neither he nor the league office was aware of the Suns’ workplace issues under Sarver.
“Did I hear ever that Robert could be difficult to deal with? Sure,” Silver reportedly said. “But that’s very different than conduct which is viewed as discriminatory in any way.”
You can read Holmes’ full reporting on the situation here.
Sarver, who has owned the Suns since 2004, came under NBA investigation for alleged racist, misogynistic, and overall toxic behavior in the workplace over the years. After reportedly interviewing 320 people and reviewing over 80,000 documents (via New York-based law firm Wachtell Lipton), the NBA handed down what many saw as a light punishment for Sarver.
However, many viewed the NBA’s decision as an intentional gambit to spark backlash and create public pressure on Sarver to sell the team. He has since begun the process of doing so (with several prominent potential buyers now in the mix). Now Silver is addressing the other side of the coin — those who were directly affected by Sarver’s behavior.
