Clippers owner racist?

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notahomer
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http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/28/us/clippe ... g-scandal/

I obviously disagree with what the Clippers owner had to say and I think it is another example of the times we live in. In the past, would this have been 'found out' or gotten traction? Doubt it. I am really glad the NBA players are not taking this lying down. ALL players seem united in stopping this in its tracks. I hope the NBA commish comes down hard on him. His PR department must be burning the midnight oil trying to fix this up.

I know it may sound completely unrelated but I don't believe it is. With an owner like this is it really surprising the Clippers have been the Washington Generals to the rest of the NBA's Harlem Globetrotters? Now I know other teams have struggled long/hard as the CLippers have but I am not surprised with an owner like this the Clippers are one of those teams.....
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WestCoastJoe
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Sterling has had a terrible reputation as an owner for decades. This latest will do immense damage to his franchise.

I can see draft picks and trades refusing to report.

Tough spot for Doc Rivers. He has to coach. And the players have to play IMO.

I can't help but think that his girlfriend set him up. She has mixed ethnicity, and must truly resent his racism. The tapes I heard, it sounds like she is leading him on. And that would serve him just right. Over twenty years he has showm himself to be a terrible owner, and a racist real estate businessman. She sounds like a very dangerous character also. They deserve each other. Rich men beware.

Times have changed. What was once private, as with a conversation, is now so readily available to everyone. A private conversation in a restaurant? Nope. On the cell phone? Nope. We do have rights, of course. And lawsuits will follow. But in the meantime, the word is out there. Tweet at your peril. Same for email, facebook and phone communications.
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TheLionKing
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How stupid can Sterling be for making that statement ?
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David
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As stupid and as patently offensive as it was, it was also a private conversation that was unknowingly (and illegally) recorded and sold to tabloid journalists.


DH :cool:
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Sir Purrcival
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Yep, gotta wonder just where the "girlfriend" fits into the scandal part of things. He is in the wrong for saying it and he clearly is the product of a time when things like this were much more significant. Having listened to the entire clip, I am inclined to believe that he was baited into saying some of the things he did during a moment of emotional duress. She keeps going back to the same point and hammering away despite several attempts to end the conversation on his part. The fact that this was recorded and broadcast also suggests that there was some deliberation in the conversation as a whole. He may be racist. But lots of people of that era could be called that. My own mother had some very strong, negative views towards the Japanese mostly because of events in WWII which she was a part of. Acceptable, no, but people are often the product of the experiences in their lives and at this age and stage I don't think anyone is going believe that Sterling is going to be someone different than who he already is. If she didn't like his views, she should leave him, not do this. It makes her no better than him. Both front runners in the contest to see who can be the biggest "a**hole" It would be nice to see in all the outrage toward him, some left over for those who think it is all well and fine to take private moments in a relationship and broadcast it to the world as payback. Apparently she has more than 100 hours of recorded conversations and is currently being sued by Sterling's legal wife for 1.8 million. Money she alleges that was stolen by the "girlfriend". Presumably the recordings are going to held back as hedge and probable extortion material. Funny how his views didn't seem to affect her accepting the gifts Sterling bestowed upon her including 2 Bentley's, a Ferrari and who knows what else.
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TheLionKing
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Sterling suspended for life and fine $2.5 million

http://www.tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=450749
TheLionKing
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Sir Purrcival wrote: If she didn't like his views, she should leave him, not do this. It makes her no better than him.
Can you say Sugar Daddy ?
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Shi Zi Mi
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It seems, once again, that it's more about getting caught/recorded than about the actual transgression.....his behaviour/attitude has been well known for a long time but nothing was ever done until it was recorded.....no previous outrage from players, media or fans.

Powerful people feel "protected" with the right to say or do as they please.....so how many more Donald Sterlings are out there?
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Sir Purrcival wrote:Yep, gotta wonder just where the "girlfriend" fits into the scandal part of things. He is in the wrong for saying it and he clearly is the product of a time when things like this were much more significant. Having listened to the entire clip, I am inclined to believe that he was baited into saying some of the things he did during a moment of emotional duress. She keeps going back to the same point and hammering away despite several attempts to end the conversation on his part. The fact that this was recorded and broadcast also suggests that there was some deliberation in the conversation as a whole. He may be racist. But lots of people of that era could be called that. My own mother had some very strong, negative views towards the Japanese mostly because of events in WWII which she was a part of. Acceptable, no, but people are often the product of the experiences in their lives and at this age and stage I don't think anyone is going believe that Sterling is going to be someone different than who he already is. If she didn't like his views, she should leave him, not do this. It makes her no better than him. Both front runners in the contest to see who can be the biggest "a**hole" It would be nice to see in all the outrage toward him, some left over for those who think it is all well and fine to take private moments in a relationship and broadcast it to the world as payback. Apparently she has more than 100 hours of recorded conversations and is currently being sued by Sterling's legal wife for 1.8 million. Money she alleges that was stolen by the "girlfriend". Presumably the recordings are going to held back as hedge and probable extortion material. Funny how his views didn't seem to affect her accepting the gifts Sterling bestowed upon her including 2 Bentley's, a Ferrari and who knows what else.
Yes, absolutely; you've nailed it. There's just a ton (or tonne) of hypocrisy in all of this. Just a pretty vile situation from all viewpoints. You're certainly right, Sir Percival, that we are a product of our times. I don't condone racism, but there's a lot more here than just that. Above all, the story may be a cautionary tale for other sugar-daddys out there.
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WestCoastJoe
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http://www.tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=450749
The NBA has handed Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling a lifetime ban in addition to a $2.5 million fine for racist comments he made to his girlfriend, published last Friday.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver also stated: "I will urge the board of governors to exercise its authority to force a sale of the team."

In a statement released by the League, the ban strips Sterling's ability to, " attend NBA games or practices, be present at any Clippers office or facility or participate in any business or player personnel decisions involving the team. He will also be barred from attending NBA Board of Governors meetings and participating in any other league activity."

Silver also called Sterling's comments and views deeply offensive and harmful. "We stand together in condemning Mr. Sterling's views," he continued. "They simply have no place in the NBA."

Upon being asked whether he thought remarks made in private were fair game for such a suspension, Silver responded decisively. "Whether or not these remarks were shared in private, they are now public," he told reporters.

Silver added that Sterling could be forced to sell his stake in the Clippers if three-quarters of the other NBA owners vote to support a motion.

When asked what his back-up plan was in the event he does not get 24 owners to vote Sterling out of the League, Silver sharply remarked, "I fully expect to get the support I need from the other NBA owners to remove him."

One of those 29 - Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban - went public with his support for the ruling, stating via Twitter: "I agree 100% with Commissioner Silvers findings and the actions taken against Donald Sterling."

NBPA advisor Kevin Johnson later stated that the Commissioner had done his duty and stated that the players "are proud to call him 'our Commissioner.'"

Johnson outlined that the players presented Silver with three demands: immediate action, that the players' collective voices to be heard and maximum allowable punishment under the by-laws and constitution.

Response from the City of Los Angeles, too, was swift and decisive. "I want to personally thank Mr. Silver for bringing down the hammer, for being as strong as he possibly could be," said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti just moments after Silver's news conference ended.

As to whether Sterling had expressed any remorse, Silver was once again brief and blunt.

"Mr. Sterling acknowledged it was his voice on the tape and he has not expressed to me, directly, any other views," he said.

Sterling's actions have sparked league-wide condemnation and protest, from his own Clippers refusing to wear team-issued warm-up gear and covering the team's logo during shootaround to The Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs wearing black socks in their respective games as a show of support.

Silver said he believes the decision on Sterling will satisfy the outraged Clippers players.

"I believe the players will be satisfied with the decision and renderings we've made today," Silver said in response to what he expects out of the Clippers. "If a player in the future does not want to play for the Clippers but is under contract, we will deal with that then."

Players outside L.A. have also spoken their mind, including arguably the game's most popular player.

"There's no room in this game for an owner like that," LeBron James said. "For us, as basketball players, we're all brothers. We're competing against each other and all of us want to win, but in the end, we all have to stick together. We supported our Clippers tonight and showed our respect to what they're going through."

The 80-year-old Sterling has faced plenty of legal trouble over the past 20 years for his actions both as Clippers owner and as a prominent landlord and real estate developer. His NBA-related offences include (but are not limited to) a back-pay lawsuit with former Clippers coach Bill Fitch, a wrongful termination suit with former general manager Elgin Baylor and a guaranteed-contract arbitration case with former GM and head coach Mike Dunleavy.

He also settled a housing discrimination suit with the U.S. Department of Justice for $2.73 million in 2009, marking the largest amount ever obtained by the U.S. government in a discrimination case involving apartment rentals, according to ESPN.

Condemnation of Sterling's most recent controversy has also come from off the court with the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and U.S. President Barack Obama speaking out.

Johnson - who was the target of a portion of Sterling's recorded tirade - was quick to praise Silver's decision.

"Former and current NBA players are very happy and satisfied with Commissioner Silver's ruling," Johnson said via his official Twitter account shortly after the announcement.

James echoed the statement with his own Tweet, which read: "Commissioner Silver thank you for protecting our beautiful and powerful league!! Great leader!! #BiggerThanBasketball #StriveForGreatness"

Stephen Curry, who's Golden State Warriors team is currently facing the Clippers in the playoffs supports the decision.

"'Standing ovation' for Commissioner Silver. Big time decision standing up for the league and it's players. Now, Gotta see it through," said Curry on his official account.
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From the piece pasted in by notahomer: "Sterling was to receive a lifetime achievement award at an event next month to mark the 100th anniversary of the Los Angeles NAACP, but the national organization said Monday that would not happen. Sterling had been given a lifetime achievement award from the organization in 2009, according to a brochure obtained by CNN."

Wow! The NAACP must have loved him....
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WestCoastJoe
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The NBA has handed Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling a lifetime ban in addition to a $2.5 million fine for racist comments he made to his girlfriend, published last Friday.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver also stated: "I will urge the board of governors to exercise its authority to force a sale of the team."

In a statement released by the League, the ban strips Sterling's ability to, " attend NBA games or practices, be present at any Clippers office or facility or participate in any business or player personnel decisions involving the team. He will also be barred from attending NBA Board of Governors meetings and participating in any other league activity."

Silver also called Sterling's comments and views deeply offensive and harmful. "We stand together in condemning Mr. Sterling's views," he continued. "They simply have no place in the NBA."

Upon being asked whether he thought remarks made in private were fair game for such a suspension, Silver responded decisively. "Whether or not these remarks were shared in private, they are now public," he told reporters.
Hmmmm ... Decisive action.

Sterling was an easy target for all kinds of condemnation. Terrible owner. For decades. Racist comments.

I expect the league was almost looking for a way to get rid of him.

Somewhat surprised at the severity of the decision. Not sure they can enforce all of it. Sterling could fight for survival, seeking forgiveness, vowing to change.

We all have concerns about privacy. We live in scary times. But I have no sympathy for Sterling on a personal level. He seems like a very crass individual.

If his girlfriend led him on intentionally, as seemed evident on the tapes that I heard ... Yikes. 80 year old man. Gorgeous girlfriend. Very, very expensive gifts. We know the scenario. Divorce proceedings with his wife. He is in for hard times. With all his wealth.

"It seems to me that the General has his headquarters where his hindquarters ought to be." - Civil war quote
Silver added that Sterling could be forced to sell his stake in the Clippers if three-quarters of the other NBA owners vote to support a motion.

When asked what his back-up plan was in the event he does not get 24 owners to vote Sterling out of the League, Silver sharply remarked, "I fully expect to get the support I need from the other NBA owners to remove him."

One of those 29 - Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban - went public with his support for the ruling, stating via Twitter: "I agree 100% with Commissioner Silvers findings and the actions taken against Donald Sterling."
Forced to sell? Not sure about that.

Not sure there is any way he can save himself either. He might just sell to rid himself of the mess. His franchise is in for rocky times.
Response from the City of Los Angeles, too, was swift and decisive. "I want to personally thank Mr. Silver for bringing down the hammer, for being as strong as he possibly could be," said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti just moments after Silver's news conference ended.
Lots of piling on, of course. Like I said, he is an easy target. Foolish man. Brought down by a beautiful woman?
Silver said he believes the decision on Sterling will satisfy the outraged Clippers players.
And those are the ones that Silver has to keep happy.
The 80-year-old Sterling has faced plenty of legal trouble over the past 20 years for his actions both as Clippers owner and as a prominent landlord and real estate developer. His NBA-related offences include (but are not limited to) a back-pay lawsuit with former Clippers coach Bill Fitch, a wrongful termination suit with former general manager Elgin Baylor and a guaranteed-contract arbitration case with former GM and head coach Mike Dunleavy.

He also settled a housing discrimination suit with the U.S. Department of Justice for $2.73 million in 2009, marking the largest amount ever obtained by the U.S. government in a discrimination case involving apartment rentals, according to ESPN.
Decades of controversy.
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WestCoastJoe
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http://www.tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=450789
Forcing sale will be tough ...

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced Tuesday that Donald Sterling is banned for life from the Clippers organization. As well, he has been fined $2.5 million. Finally, Silver will recommend to the Board of Governors that Sterling be forced to sell the team.

Fine and Expulsion

The fine of $2.5 million was not a surprise. The likely range was somewhere between $1 million and $5 million. However, the NBA went farther than expected by banning Sterling for life from the Clippers. That means that Sterling is not only permanently removed from the day-to-day operations of the league, but he can't be part of the franchise in any way. A suspension of 1 to 2 years was initially expected.

Banning Sterling for life is a precedent setting punishment and appropriate under the circumstances. The comments were of course despicable and disturbing. As well, the majority of the NBA player population is of color. According to a 2013 report, 76.3 percent of NBA players are African-American and 80.1% are of color. So when the majority of the league workforce is African-American, the NBA has no choice but to ask as decisively as possible within its legal framework.

Forcing the Sale of the Team

This is where things get a bit messy. The NBA by-laws allow the league to remove an owner in limited circumstances, including if the team is in financial distress. We saw something similar in baseball when MLB took over the Dodgers when Frank McCourt made a mess of the team.

The NBA bylaws, however, are unlikely to provide a reasonable basis for the league to terminate his ownership.

Rather, the NBA will likely look to Article 35 of the NBA Constitution, which allows the commissioner to indefinitely suspend owners for "conduct prejudicial or detrimental to the association". The NBA needs ¾ of owners to agree to the sale.

This is broad language and does provide an arguable legal basis to remove Sterling. However, I emphasize "arguable". This language does not unequivocally give the NBA the authority to hand down the most dramatic and substantial of all penalties - forcing an owner to sell.

So that means it's possible that Sterling could fire back with a lawsuit if forced to sell alleging that the league's owners have acted unlawfully. That type of lawsuit could be worth $100 million plus for Sterling. That's why the NBA didn't announce Sterling is being forced to sell; rather they announced they would recommend that he be forced to sell and take it from there.

As part of that same lawsuit, Sterling could allege that the NBA doesn't have the authority to ban him for life, and that the penalty is disproportionately high.

Not only does Sterling have a history of racially insensitive comments, he also has a history of suing the NBA. After acquiring the San Diego Clippers in 1981, Sterling moved the team to Los Angeles without the league's consent in 1984. David Stern, Commissioner of the NBA at the time, fined Sterling $25 million.

What did Sterling do in response?

He sued the NBA for $100 million. The fine was later reduced to $6 million.

So depending on how Sterling takes today's news, this may not be done.
This story has legs ...
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WestCoastJoe
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http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/28/us/clippe ... g-scandal/
Rochelle Sterling filed a lawsuit last month against Stiviano, who she said was having an affair with her husband.

In the complaint, Rochelle Sterling accuses Stiviano of targeting extremely wealthy older men. The suit claims that Donald Sterling used the couple's money to buy Stiviano a Ferrari, two Bentleys and a Range Rover and that Stiviano took possession of a $1.8 million duplex through fraud. Sterling also gave her nearly $250,000 in cash, the court document says.

Stiviano countered in another court document that there was nothing wrong with Donald Sterling giving her gifts and that she never took advantage of the Clippers owner, who made much of his fortune in real estate.

Speaking about the recording, Roeser said, "We do not know if it is legitimate or it has been altered. We do know that the woman on the tape -- who we believe released it to TMZ -- is the defendant in a lawsuit brought by the Sterling family alleging that she embezzled more than $1.8 million, who told Mr. Sterling that she would 'get even.' "
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Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

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This by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk:

Will Sterling lifetime ban push Redskins issue to critical mass?
Posted by Mike Florio on April 29, 2014, 6:15 PM EDT

In the immediate aftermath of the release of Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s private racist rant, a former NFL team executive suggested that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder likely welcomes the distraction from the ongoing scrutiny of his team’s public and — in the opinion of some — racist team name.

The situations, on the surface, are inherently different. But as the NBA demonstrates that it has no tolerance for racially inappropriate comments made behind closed doors, the NFL continues to deal with a potentially racist team name hiding in plain view.

To no surprise, Oneida Indian Nation opted to use the penalties imposed on Sterling as a reason to draw more attention to the lingering controversy involving the Redskins name.

“In banning Clippers owner Donald Sterling, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and other NBA team owners have taken a courageous stand against racism in professional sports, acknowledging that professional leagues cannot be a platform to promote bigotry,” Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter said in a release. “In taking such appropriate disciplinary action, the NBA has shown leagues like the NFL that they have a moral responsibility to take disciplinary action against people like Dan Snyder, who also continues to proudly promote bigotry with the use of a dictionary-defined racial slur as his team’s name.”

While it’s unlikely that the Sterling situation will nudge the Redskins name controversy toward a critical mass, the unwillingness of the NBA to tolerate an owner expressing racist views behind closed doors highlights the question of whether and to what extent the NFL is willing to tolerate a situation where reasonable minds may differ on the existence of overt racism.

On one hand, the NFL is the ultimate reality show; having a year-to-year subplot regarding the potential change of the name of a team ultimately generates interest and discussion. On the other hand, the subject of that debate arguably doesn’t reflect well on the NFL, which eventually may have to explain why it allowed the debate to linger for as long as it did.
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