Portland Trail Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey has no plans to step down amid an internal investigation into his workplace conduct, according to Jason Quick of The Athletic.
Olshey, according to a source, is not interested in making a deal or a buyout settlement and is fighting for his job amid accusations he has fostered a hostile work environment.
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) November 13, 2021
Olshey, who was reportedly at the team's practice facility every day this week working alongside employees who levied accusations against him, is also scheduled to be interviewed by investigators in the coming days.
Trail Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey is scheduled to be interviewed in next week by investigators from O’Melveny and Myers. The investigation was supposed to be finished by Nov. 5, but after interviewing more than 60 people the deadline was extended.
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) November 13, 2021
Reports of Blazers employees alleging that Olshey created a “hostile, toxic” workplace first surfaced last week. The team subsequently announced an investigation into Olshey without specifically naming him, hiring law firm O'Melveny & Myers to conduct the probe.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported on Friday night that investigators recently expanded their probe to include interviews with several current players.
Portland president and CEO Chris McGowan, head of the organization's business operations, announced his resignation on Friday.
Though both McGowan and the team portrayed his exit and the accompanying promotion of COO Dewayne Hankins as an anticipated transition independent of the controversy surrounding Olshey, Chauncey Billups expressed surprise at the developments before Friday's win over the Houston Rockets. The Athletic also reported that longstanding friction between Olshey and McGowan played a part in the latter deciding to step down.
The Blazers, 6-7, got a much-needed first road victory of the season on Friday against the bottom-dwelling Rockets. Their four-game road trip ends on Sunday with a game versus Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
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