The Atlanta Hawks offseason has been marred by emails and scouting reports flush with racial overtones, the results of which have led to majority owner Bruce Levenson announcing that he will sell the team and general manager Danny Ferry taking an indefinite leave of absence and attending sensitivity training.
The court of public opinion has been a mixed bag as far as Ferry is concerned, with many outside of the NBA calling for his job while a number of people within the NBA have offered their support. Atlanta CEO Steve Koonin has maintained that the Hawks will not fire their GM.
In what seems to have been an effort to seek advice and, perhaps, to have some damage control, Ferry met with beloved NBA legend Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson Tuesday.
Just had a heart to heart meeting w/ Hawks GM Danny Ferry! He apologized for his comments about Luol Deng & the African American community.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) September 23, 2014
In our meeting Danny Ferry’s apology was very sincere.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) September 23, 2014
I have a lot of respect for Danny because he called and wanted to talk about how his comments offended so many people. — Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) September 23, 2014
After our long meeting, I think he deserves a second chance whether it is with the Hawks or another team. — Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) September 23, 2014
That last sentiment is the kicker, “whether it is with the Hawks or another team.”
While Koonin seems resolved that Ferry will remain with the team, will the Hawks’ new owner want to keep him? Or will a new owner want to clean house?
That is something that everyone will have to wait to find out.
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Not mentioned is the person who started this controversy was Hawks minority owner, Michael Gearon, who ordered an internal investigation after secretly taping Ferry paraphrase the African Stereotype (no Racism here) that was in the scouting report given to him. That report apparently was written by a former Chicago Bulls executive who was very familiar with Luol Deng. Oddly, noone in the media is willing to “out” the person who wrote the report or question whether the claim of Deng being “2-faced” is based on fact.
Now it is revealed from USA Today, but not widely reported, is that Gearon wanted to “cash out” of the Hawks and knew that Levenson would have to sell the entire ownership in order to get a good price. Apparently the high price paid for the sale of the Bucks and recently, the Clippers, played a role.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/hawks/2014/09/16/danny-ferry-bruce-levenson-michael-gearon-atlanta-hawks-disfunction/15537881/
Also documented in the article, was that Gearon didn’t like Ferry, from day one, and wanted to get him fired.
Gearon basically blackmailed the Hawks by hinting that eventually the tape (that he recorded) would become public, if something wasn’t done.
Now, Gearon seems to be getting his way, with the sale of the Hawks, while a new owner is likely to get his own person as GM. Such a shame that this isn’t being reported. Deng has another $20 million guaranteed, and noone will remember this incident, as long as he performs on the court. Danny Ferry is the victim here. A victim of politics. His livelihood has likely been ruined by Gearon’s blackmail.
Meanwhile, also not reported widely, is that Ferry friend for 30 years, GM Billy King, has stated that Ferry is the furthest thing from a Racist.
Regarding Levenson’s EMail, it was all business, as Kareem Abdul Jabbar has editorialized. With the Hawks being a money loser, selling a team may be the only way to turn a net profit.