Opinion: Robert Sarver's Lack of Awareness Does not Excuse Behavior
On Tuesday, it was announced that Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver would be suspended for one year and fined $10 million after being found to have spoken racial slurs, and instances of inequitable conduct toward female employees.
It is quick to say the NBA did not do enough.
After purchasing the team in 2004, Sarver almost single handedly destroyed what was considered to be one of the pillars of the National Basketball Association. From dismantling the seven second offense to letting Steve Kerr walk, Sarver’s basketball failures are well documented.
It appears that his management leadership decisions have not.
The most offensive part of this investigation was found in the words that the investigation "made no finding that Mr. Sarver's workplace misconduct was motivated by racial or gender-based animus."
In that moment, the NBA attempting to excuse belligerent behavior by claiming Sarver simply did not know what he was doing is disrespectful to anyone who has dealt with any form of sexism or racism.
With issues with systemic racism and sexism coded into our daily life, often it is easy to take a moral victory and feel that the second part of the statement is “racism”. Sarver will be gone for a year and he will have to face some questions as to what was wrong with his behavior.
What feels forgotten here is the “systemic” part. The NBA pulling what feels like a “thoughts and prayers” punishment to Sarver feels like three steps back from the “awareness” they found in the bubble. There should be no tolerance for the level of disrespect taken by Sarver against any of his employees.
The real solution to this issue is just beginning. The NBA will be taking many steps to help heal some of the troubles found in Phoenix including retaining an outside firm to evaluate the team as a whole and conduct regular anonymous workplace surveys.
The Suns must now also make reports for the next three years about steps being taken to address the requirements above. It is hard to believe that examples like Melissa Fender Panagiotakopoulos are only the tip of the iceberg.
There is no guarantee that a year of class instruction will allow Sarver time to change 400+ years of misguided belief impressed on him. The NBA has also decided to make this the low bar going forward should any other team in the league be found in similar circumstances.
That's not okay.
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