Mike the Musicologist asked for a ruling on this one: which, frankly, I wasn’t even aware of until he asked, because I’d been busy with Godard and work and stuff.
The ruling here is: no, this does not count as a firing. Generally, I consider a defined length suspension to not be a firing by itself. If someone gets a one-year suspension and the team then announces they’re letting the guy go, that’s probably a firing. An “indefinite” suspension to me, counts as a firing. But in this case: not a firing, but still newsworthy.
The NBA statement said the firm’s investigation concluded that Sarver “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; unequal treatment of female employees; sex-related statements and conduct; and harsh treatment of employees that on occasion constituted bullying.”
Among the key findings:
• Sarver, on at least five occasions during his tenure with the Suns/Mercury organization, repeated the N-word when recounting the statements of others.
• Sarver engaged in instances of inequitable conduct toward female employees, made many sex-related comments in the workplace, made inappropriate comments about the physical appearance of female employees and other women, and on several occasions engaged in inappropriate physical conduct toward male employees.
• Sarver engaged in demeaning and harsh treatment of employees, including by yelling and cursing at them.
More from the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network:
Has the NBA instructed all the players, coaches and support staff that all the rap music in which the “n-word” is used will not be allowed to be played in any of their facilities, during any practice or other event? Will they be doing a check on players and staff’s play lists to find offenders?