The news reported by Sports Illustrated on the corrosive workplace culture in the Dallas Mavericks organization rocked the NBA world on Tuesday. As a result of the investigation, a beat reporter was fired and questions have arisen regarding how much owner Mark Cuban knew about what was going on.
The report centered around inappropriate sexual conduct by the team's CEO, Terdema L. Ussery. He allegedly had made unwanted advances to several women for years, according to the report.
But what makes things worse about what was revealed is there was an investigation into Ussery's behavior 20 year ago. Marc Stein, then of the Dallas Morning News, broke the story on the investigation in August 1998.
The Mavericks recently completed an organization-wide investigation to explore reports of sexual misconduct against Terdema L. Ussery, team president and chief executive officer, according to team sources.
The investigation, unprecedented in the Mavericks' 18-year history, centered on Ussery's alleged improper behavior with multiple female employees, the sources said.
But apparently, nothing happened at Ussery despite the claims, per Stein.
The Mavericks have not announced a change in Ussery's job status. Legal records checked by TheNews show no federal or state lawsuits against Ussery in Collin County, where he lives, or Dallas County.
Ussery left the Mavericks in 2015, but clearly the organization missed an opportunity to take care of the allegations far before that. As of now, he is not convicted of any crime, but the entire story is an incredibly bad look for the Mavericks organization, particularly Cuban.
The Mavericks owner is said to be one of the most hands-on owners in the entire league. He even travels with the team at times and is involved in seemingly every decision.
Time will tell what happens next. But this is not going away any time soon.
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