The Dallas Mavericks are under the microscope after a Sports Illustrated investigative report was released painting a picture of an “animal house” organization that had a history of harboring misogynists and sexual predators.
Mark Cuban is known as one of the most hands-on owners throughout the NBA , but in light of the issues within his office, it appears that he has been more hands-off when it came to conduct within his workplace.
That raises the question, and a lot of it depends on how much Cuban actually knew: Should Mark Cuban be forced by the league and its owners to sell the Mavericks?
A lot is at stake for the NBA if the Mavericks organization puts the entire league in a bad light, one that destroys the image that Commissioner Adam Silver wants to portray to the sports world, in particular, and the world at large, in general.
NBA spokesperson Mike Bass released a statement saying, “This alleged conduct runs counter to the steadfast commitment of the NBA and its teams to foster safe, respectful and welcoming workplaces for all employees.”
If the NBA loses support from various sectors, it could potentially lose its pristine image, and thereby result in exorbitant financial losses.
The SI report included two persons of interest—former Mavs.com reporter Earl K. Sneed and former team president and CEO, Terdema Ussery.
Sneed faced multiple complaints for violence and domestic abuse. In June 2012, he pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charges of family violence assault.
Cuban said in an interview with ESPN that it was a horrible mistake that he didn’t dig into the details of the case more closely. He said that in hindsight, he would’ve fired Sneed and still sent him to counseling
Sneed was also involved in another domestic dispute in 2014. His girlfriend, who also worked with the Mavs organization, came to work with a swollen face, according to the report.
Cuban admitted that upon knowing this second incident, he didn’t fire Sneed, thinking that this would prevent him from going to another organization and doing it again. He said he wanted to be able to control him so he sent him to counseling while enforcing rules around Sneed.
Most of the complaints are directed toward Ussery who was allegedly involved in public fondling and harassment. He was investigated back in 1998 but denied the allegations thrown at him.
The “real life animal house” environment was considered an “open secret” within the organization. Cuban said that he is embarrassed that all of these happened under his ownership and has since been proactive in speaking about it and rectifying the problem.
SI’s Michael Mccann outlined the steps that the NBA can take in light of the allegations within the Mavericks organization including fining Cuban or perhaps even follow the route that they took with former L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling. Unlike Sterling, however, Cuban is not the accused in the report even if SI’s sources say that he knew about Ussery’s behavior despite Cuban’s denial.
As McCann points out, “the league’s constitution makes clear that Silver can severely punish any franchise, owner or team employee who, in Silver’s opinion, is guilty of conduct prejudicial or detrimental to the NBA.” The only issue is to what extent Silver can exercise his authority.
Cuban hired independent investigators but may opt to conduct their own investigation into the Mavericks.
If this becomes a huge marketing nightmare for the league, expect the NBA and its owners to come down hard on Cuban. He could face the biggest fine in the history of the league. But a huge fine may end up being the least of Cuban’s worries. If the league finds some sort of legal grounds that could force him to sell the team, you can almost guarantee that they will pursue it.
However, since the allegations are not directly related to the NBA as a team but the Mavericks as an organization, there may not be enough grounds to force him to sell.
Either way, the league will have its hands full in the coming days and weeks making sense of the mess brought on by the Mavericks. Expect more announcements from the league office soon.
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