Commissioner Adam Silver also fined him $2,500,000
Well now it looks like Donald Sterling won’t have to worry about black people at his games anymore, since he himself will NEVER be attending another game again.
After TMZ released audio of the LA Clippers owner telling his mistress that he did not want her to bring black people to his games amongst some other off color remarks, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has decided to ban Donald Sterling from the team for life, as well as fine him $2.5 million, which is the highest allowed in the NBA. The money that Sterling is fined will be donated to charities and anti-discrimination and tolerance campaigns.
Silver also noted that he is going to do everything in his power to have The Clippers taken from Donald Sterling in light of the distasteful comments he made. “The views expressed by Donald Sterling are extremely offensive and harmful,” Silver said. “We stand together in condemning Mr. Sterling’s views. They simply have no place in the N.B.A.”
Magic Johnson was one of the first ones to react to the Commissioner’s decision. He tweeted “Commissioner Silver showed great leadership in banning LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life.” He added, “ Former and current NBA players are very happy and satisfied with Commissioner Silver’s ruling.” Magic Johnson’s quick reaction is expected since he was personally mentioned in the recordings where Donald Sterling specifically mentioned that he was upset because V. Stiviano had posted a picture with him on her Instagram and was therefore “promoting” being associated with black people.
Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, also tweeted his support saying “I agree 100% with Commissioner Silvers findings and the actions taken against Donald Sterling.”
Probably one of the only supporters of Sterling is Donald Trump who said Sterling’s girlfriend was “the girlfriend from hell” and said on Fox & Friends “It’s terrible he got set up by a very bad girlfriend,” he said. “She was baiting him and she’s a terrible human being.”
Anyone who can defend a man who tells a woman that she is suppose to ignore her black heritage and be a “delicate or white Latina” really shouldn’t be allowed to go on TV, but that is what the FOX network is for.
Commissioner Adam Silver also confirmed that he had talked to Sterling and that he admitted that the voice on the recordings obtained by TMZ were him. TMZ also says that there are hundreds of hours of tapes that his mistress, V. Stiviano has that could have buried Donald Sterling into an even deeper hole.
One of the many questions that this controversy brings up is should what Sterling said in private be used against him in public? Is this a violation of freedom of speech? Adam Silver thinks that whether it was made in private or not is irrelevant and he should still be punished. “Whether or not these remarks were shared in private,” he said, “they are now public and they represent his views.
Do you think that this decision was too harsh, just right or not enough?
