NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed his apology and accountability in front of hundreds of Phoenix Suns employees before the team’s season opener against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, sources told ESPN’s Baxter Holmes.
Per Holmes, Silver, on behalf of the league office, apologized “multiple times” in front of the groups of Suns workers for enduring a year of investigation against owner Robert Sarver.
“I’m incredibly empathetic to what many of you have lived through,” Silver told employees, executives and interim team governor Sam Garvin hours before the match.
“To the extent that you feel let down by the league, I apologize. I take responsibility for that,” the commissioner added.
After a year-long investigation conducted by New York-based law firm Wachtell Lipton, Sarver was found guilty of unethical workplace conduct filled by sexism, misogyny and racism. As a result, he was slapped by the league with a one-year ownership suspension, mandatory compliance on training about proper team conduct and a $10 million fine.
After the fans and several league circles have voiced out their concern on these sanctions imposed, Sarver, out of public clamor, ultimately announced his intent to start the process of selling both his Suns and Mercury franchises last September.
Silver stressed out some answers from certain inquiries by Suns employees, including how the league will hold accountability regarding these cases, how to evade these issues again for other teams, and encouraging them to report their unwanted sentiments and experiences around the workplace.
