There is no 'silver lining' in the lack of punishment towards Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver
Robert Sarver has served as owner of the Phoenix Suns since 2004, and within a stretch that began when Facebook was in its inception and has spanned 17 years, it has been revealed the heinous acts that have riddled an extremely tainted tenure. The accusations of racism displayed towards employers and being vehemently sexist had floated around for roughly a year, and Tuesday confirmed what some already suspected: Robert Sarver participated in many discriminatory acts during his ownership of the Phoenix Suns.
According to the now-public results of the NBA's investigation, Robert Sarver repeated the n-word when recounting statements of others at least five times. It also exposed Sarver for engaging in demeaning and harsh treatment of employees, which included yelling and cursing at them. Sarver also engaged in "inequitable conduct toward female employees, made many sex-related comments in the workplace, inappropriate comments about the physical appearance of female employees and other women, and on several occasions engaged in inappropriate physical conduct toward male employees." One would think the ethical decision for such atrocities committed would be a permanent suspension while being stripped of ownership and anything else he held claim to. After all, if this were an ALDI manager, they'd never even see the light of day again.
If you are Adam Silver and the NBA, an opportunity is in front of you to set the precedent that any owner following or following the footsteps of Robert Sarver will be met with extreme ramifications for their actions. Any hopes they have of retaining ownership will be shattered in a legal battle with one of the biggest entities on planet earth. Instead, the league showed their lack of spine, leading to an outcry that has many wondering what happened to morality and proper justice. Sarver essentially is serving a one-year suspension, a training program, and a $10,000,000 fine. A slap on the wrist for a 60-year-old billionaire who has shown an unwillingness to change his ways.
High-profile players such as LeBron James and Chris Paul have expressed their displeasure with the punishment (or lack thereof) on Twitter, and one can only imagine more around the NBA will follow suit. Phoenix Suns' minority owner has even voiced his displeasure. Adam Silver is clearly hoping that with the NBA season around the corner, the controversy can die down, and everybody will focus on the on-court product. But this situation is going to keep backing Adam Silver into a corner that not even the Warriors going 82-0 could ever back him out of.