Ex-Suns employees feel Robert Sarver’s wife sent them ‘threat’ messages

Robert Sarver’s wife has made her way into the headlines amid the recent allegations against the Phoenix Suns owner.

ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reported Tuesday that Penny Sarver sent messages to three former Suns employees over the weekend. Two messages came from an @pennsar account on Instagram and another was a text message from a phone number belonging to Penny Sarver. The former employees said that they considered the messages an attempt to intimidate them.

ESPN reviewed the messages, which each of the former Suns employees confirmed receiving, and revealed their contents.

“This is Penny Sarver,” said the first one. “I know a lot of bridges were burned between you and Robert and you are very bitter. I want to remind you that real lives are at stake here … Please put your hatred aside and realize the hurt you are causing by spreading lies and fabrications. Is your time in the spotlight that important? If something happens to one of my children, I will hold you and Earl Watson personally responsible. Think about your own child for a second and imagine the tables turned.”

“I am so terribly saddened that you would say such untrue things about my husband,” the second message read. “Your interpretation of what happened is so far from the truth. You are crushing my families lives. Thanks for that.”

“You are such a liar,” said the third message. “In your trying to destroy my husband with [your] lies — you have destroyed my family and children.”

One of the former employees was quoted in Holmes’ piece as saying, “I don’t know how to interpret it other than as a threat.”

When reached for comment by ESPN, Penny Sarver confirmed that she had indeed sent the messages.

“Over the weekend, I decided on my own to reach out to a few people to try to set the record straight and to share how disappointed and hurt I am by the lies that are circulating about my husband and the Suns organization,” she told ESPN. “I shared the betrayal that I felt and I touched on some of the pain that we are going through as a family. Any suggestion that I tried to ‘intimidate’ anyone is as silly as it is wrong and outrageous.”

The Sarvers have been married since 1996 and have three children.

The NBA has launched an investigation into Robert Sarver after an ESPN article accused him of racism and sexism during his 17-year tenure as Suns owner. The article was based on interviews with over 70 current and former employees of the team. Ex-Phoenix coach Earl Watson, who was mentioned specifically in one of Penny Sarver’s messages, was the only interviewee who was quoted by name in the article.

Photo: Jan 22, 2020; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver reacts against the Indiana Pacers in the first half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports