The NBA and the Players Union denied on Thursday having known of the alleged racist and misogynistic behavior of the Phoenix Suns owner, Robert Sarver, since he took over the team in 2004, as indicated in a journalistic report issued by ESPN.
Always according to the same journalistic source that used the testimony of former employees and staff who are currently in the organization, "Sarver’s conduct has always been racially insensitive, improper and misogynistic behavior since he took over the team".
Some also said that the owner of the Suns fostered an environment in which employees felt like they owned them.
Through his legal team, Sarver denied using racially insensitive language. "I have never called anyone or any group of people with the N word, nor have I referred to anyone or group of people with the N word, either verbally or in writing. I don’t use that word. It is abhorrent and ugly and degrading and against everything I believe in".
For his part, Jason Rowley, president and CEO of the Suns, defended Sarver: "This story is completely outrageous and untrue. He does not represent, at all, the Robert Sarver with whom I have worked for 15 years. He is not a racist and he is not sexist".
NBA spokesman Mike Bass said the league has not "received a complaint of organizational misconduct from the Suns through any of our processes, including our confidential workplace misconduct hotline or other correspondence".
While the executive director of the NBA Players Association, Michele Roberts, claimed that she was not aware of any reports of player misconduct by Sarver or the Suns.
"Aside from point guard Chris Paul and James Jones, we haven’t had much official contact with the team and I can’t think of any with Sarver"Robets said.
However, in the ESPN story, always with statements from anonymous people, an alleged current employee of the Suns business operations states that "If the commissioner walks in and investigates to see what the heck is going on in Phoenix, he would be horrified.".
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