Owners Behaving Badly

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Apr 26, 2014

Owners Behaving Badly

Jerry Jones

In Sept. 2014, Jana Weckerly, a former exotic dancer, filed a suit in Dallas County District Court alleging the Dallas Cowboys owner sexually assaulted her in 2009. The suit also claims that Jones and the Cowboys conspired to cover up the assault. Weckerly seeks more than $1 million in damages. Weckerly's lawyer sent a press release to several media outlets, claiming she was the person who took the photos of Jones posing with strippers in 2009 which were recently leaked. Jerry Jones is remembered for quite possibly the largest PR disaster in NFL history, when about 1,250 temporary seats in six sections of the Cowboys' new stadium weren't fully installed and inspected by the time the gates opened for Super Bowl XLV in 2011.

Bruce Levenson

The Atlanta Hawks controlling owner said he will sell his interest in the team following a racially insensitive email he sent to Hawks president Danny Ferry (who has been separately disciplined by the team) in 2012 was revealed in Sept. 2014. In it, Levenson complained about what he viewed as an overly high percentage of African-Americans attending Hawks games and serving as cheerleaders. He also took issue with the prevalence of hip-hop music played during games. Levenson, who has owned the Hawks since 2004, also theorized that African-American fans scare away white fans and that this alleged phenomenon has cost the Hawks money.

Donald Sterling

The Los Angeles Clippers owner came under fire in April 2014 when an audio recording surfaced in which he could allegedly be heard making a series of racist remarks to his girlfriend, V. Stiviano (left). She was scolded for bringing African-Americans to Clippers games and for posting photos of her and African-Americans to her Instagram account. Sterling has filed two multi-billion dollar lawsuits against the NBA, arguing that the league and its officials were hypocritical in forcing him out as owner for his racially-insensitive comments.

Jim Irsay

The Indianapolis Colts owner was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and four counts of possession of a controlled substance after police arrested him on March 16, 2014, finding painkillers and more than $29,000 in his vehicle. Irsay was sentenced to one year of probation, during which he will be drug tested and barred from possessing or consuming alcoholic beverages. He was suspended for six games and fined $500,000 for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.

Peter Pocklington

Pocklington, who bought the Edmonton Oilers in the late 1970s, found immediate success with the arrival of Wayne Gretzky in 1979. ''The Great One'' led Edmonton to the Stanley Cup four times during his decade with the Oilers. But Pocklington, who reportedly was in debt, traded Gretzky to Los Angeles for five players and $15 million. Pocklington was arrested in 2009 on bankruptcy fraud charges.

Bud Adams

Former Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams made headlines in 2009 when he flipped off Buffalo fans from the owner's box in the waning moments of the Titans' 41-17 victory over the Bills. The NFL fined him $250,000.

Mark Cuban

Richard W. Rodriguez/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT via Getty Images)

Cuban has done an enormous amount of good for Dallas as owner of the Mavericks franchise, building a state of the art facility and turning the team from laughingstock to contender. Unfortunately, his passion has also been his downfall. He has been fined nearly $2 million for critical comments about the league and referees. His low point may have been during the 2009 playoffs, when he called Denver fans and players ''thugs,'' then got into a verbal altercation with Kenyon Martin's mother.

John Rigas

John Rigas, who founded Adelphia Communications Corporation in 1952, was the majority owner of the Buffalo Sabres until 2002, when he was convicted on 15 accounts of fraud and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Marge Schott

The chain-smoking former owner of the Cincinnati Reds was a lightning rod for controversy and made headlines for her negative comments about African-Americans, Jews and homosexuals. Schott was banned from day-to-day operation of the Reds from 1996 through 1998, when she sold her share of the team.

John Spano

In one of the more unbelievable ownership stories, Spano bought the New York Islanders in 1997 and was hailed as a savior for the team. The only problem was Spano had a fraction of the fortune he claimed and his checks to longtime owner John Pickett kept bouncing. It was also discovered that he lied on numerous items on his resume, including his education, inheritance and net worth. Commissioner Gary Bettman was forced to intervene and Spano relinquished control of the team back to Pickett. Spano was later sentenced to 71 months in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution of $11.9 million to his victims, including the Islanders.

Bruce McNall

McNall was seen as a visionary when he became Los Angeles Kings owner in 1986 and traded for the game's best player, Wayne Gretzky. The move turned an entire city into hockey fans. But things went downhill fast; In 1993, he defaulted on a $90 million loan and was forced to sell the team. A year later, he pled guilty to five counts of conspiracy and fraud and was sentenced to 70 months in prison.

George Steinbrenner

The longtime New York Yankees owner was involved in a number of off-the-field incidents, but none more controversial than his $40,000 payoff to confessed gambler Howie Spira for ''dirt'' on Dave Winfield. Steinbrenner was angry after Winfield filed a lawsuit claiming that a $300,000 donation from the Yankees to The Winfield Organization, which was guaranteed in the outfielder's contract, was never paid. On July 30, 1990, Commissioner Fay Vincent banned Steinbrenner for life, though he was reinstated three years later. The incident was Steinbrenner's second forced absence from baseball. In 1970, Bowie Kuhn suspended him for two years following his conviction for making illegal political campaign contributions to President Richard Nixon's re-election committee.

Al Davis

In addition to a longtime feud with former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, Al Davis filed an anti-trust lawuit against the NFL in 1980 after his effort to move the Raiders from Oakland to Los Angeles was blocked by a court injunction. He also made headlines when he called fired coach Lane Kiffin a ''liar'' and a ''disgrace'' during a bizarre press conference.

Ted Turner

Turner bought the Atlanta Braves in 1976 and immediately set his sights on free agent Gary Matthews. Unfortunately, that pursuit led to tampering charges and Turner was slapped with a one-year suspension from baseball. He was at the center of controversy soon after when he donned a Braves uniform and became manager for a day to help his team break a 17-game losing streak. The move was met with widespread criticism from players and fans.