Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver has long been an unpopular figure within the fan base and around the league. Suns fans have been fed up with him in recent days, amid the reports that he is responsible for the hangup in offering former No. 1 pick DeAndre Ayton a maximum contract extension.
Now, according to NBA analyst Jordan Schultz, a far more damning report about Sarver could be coming out. It is light on the details, but Schultz says it involves accusations of “racism, sexism, and sexual harassment in a series of incidents.”
The NBA is gearing up for the full story on Sarver to drop, Schultz says. If it’s as bad as indicated, it could be the second time that Adam Silver has had to deal with something like this during his tenure as commissioner, after the ouster of former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in 2014. The longtime Clippers owner was forced to sell the team after private recordings of him making racist, anti-Black comments leaked.
So far, we have no statement from the NBA, the Phoenix Suns, or from Robert Sarver himself. It’s not clear where and when the full story may come out.
🚨 Breaking: The NBA is preparing for a massive story accusing #Suns owner Robert Sarver of racism, sexism and sexual harassment in a series of incidents, sources say. With enough evidence to support such claims, there’s a real chance the league would forcibly remove Sarver.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) October 22, 2021
This news comes out as the NFL continues to reckon with a similar story within the Washington Football Team. After a bombshell Washington Post report shed light on a culture of sexual harassment within the franchise, we’re still awaiting the results of the league’s investigation.
The investigation has drummed up racist emails from Jon Gruden to former Washington president Bruce Allen, which led to the Las Vegas Raiders’ coach’s resignation. Problematic emails involving Allen have also roped in league lawyer Jeff Pash, and even ESPN’s Adam Schefter over some journalistic ethics concerns. So far, the league hasn’t released the full findings, and Dan Snyder hasn’t been directly involved in the leaks. Plenty are already drawing parallels between the two situations, as we await the full story here.
The Sterling story showed that owners can be forced out if things get bad enough, and influential players and coaches make a concerted push, as current Suns point guard Chris Paul helped with as a Clipper. Right now, we can only wait to see what comes out from Schultz’s report here.
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