Robert Sarver, owner of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, has announced he will sell both teams after he became embroiled in controversy over his comments toward women and others.
Sarver said in a Wednesday statement he thought the yearlong suspension would have been enough punishment but that “our current unforgiving climate” made him have to sell the teams.
PAYPAL THREATENS TO EXIT SUNS SPONSORSHIP IF TEAM OWNER ISN’T BOOTED
“Words that I deeply regret now overshadow nearly two decades of building organizations that brought people together — and strengthened the Phoenix area — through the unifying power of professional men’s and women’s basketball,” Sarver said. “As a man of faith, I believe in atonement and the path to forgiveness. I expected that the commissioner’s one-year suspension would provide the time for me to focus, make amends and remove my personal controversy from the teams that I and so many fans love.”
Last week, the NBA suspended Sarver from both teams for a year and fined him $10 million after an independent investigation found he had engaged in “workplace misconduct.”
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The report found that Sarver allegedly “made inappropriate comments about the appearance of female employees and other woman,” yelled and cursed at employees, and used the N-word “when recounting the statements of others,” per the NBA. However, the report found Sarver did not use “racially insensitive language with the intent to demean or denigrate.”
PayPal said it would withdraw its sponsorship of the team if Sarver was not fired shortly after the report was released, saying his conduct was “unacceptable and in conflict with our values.”
