The Philadelphia 76ers will change course from the recent potential salary cuts planned for staff making over $50,000, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
This comes only minutes after part-owner Michael Rubin was reportedly “upset” and “outraged” at the decision to reduce salaries by up to 20% to deal with the halt of the 2019-20 season. Rubin is believed not to have taken part in that decision.
The Sixers had an epic PR fail after news of this tactic were soon flooded with screenshots of part-owner Josh Harris' net worth of $3.8 billion — a figure way too large to ignore.
Employees like assistant coaches were asked to participate in this program voluntarily, given how contracted employees can't be forced to tweak their stipulations. At-will employees, however, would be forced to deal with these cuts.
Sixers ownership mentioned this way a way to avoid potential layoffs during this halt, but Rubin was not happy with how this was portraying amid his organization.
Perhaps what made it look worse was Joel Embiid choosing to donate a whopping $500,000 to coronavirus relief fund, despite only being the third-highest paid player in the roster. Embiid also pledged to provide financial aid to those who have had their jobs affected by this malady.
Other NBA teams had similar hardships, but they have evaluated the PR fallout that would ensue.