Dirk Nowitzki had a strong reaction to the allegations made about the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.
SI published an article detailing the hostile workplace the Mavericks harbored over the past two decades. The article describes the team’s former CEO as serial sexual harasser; says the team’s website reporter is a repeat woman beater; and they say the team’s human resources head was dismissive of complaints.
Nowitzki says he was “disgusted” and “shocked” when he read about all of the allegations.
Dirk Nowitzki on the investigation of the Mavs: "It’s very disappointing. It’s heartbreaking. I’m glad it’s all coming out. I was disgusted when I read the article, obviously, as everybody was. I was shocked … that our franchise, my franchise, that stuff like that was going on"
— Eddie Sefko (@ESefko) February 22, 2018
Though Nowitzki may have an association with the allegations because it is about the team for whom he has played his entire career, he should be proud of one thing. The article specifically says that the players’ locker room was a refuge for employees who felt uncomfortable.
Here’s what a female former staffer told SI:
“I dealt with players all the time. I had hundreds of interactions with players and never once had an issue…they always knew how to treat people. Then I’d go to the office and it was this zoo, this complete —-show. My anxiety would go down dealing with players; it would go up when I got to my desk.”
Nowitzki has been a face of the Mavericks since 1999. Mark Cuban has been the other face of the franchise, and these allegations reflect much more upon him than they do Dirk. Cuban has already taken blame for not firing the team’s reporter Earl K. Sneed sooner. Many are wondering how such a hands-on owner could have allowed all of this to take place under his watch.
