((HT: MyFoxAtlanta))
A scheduled meeting between Hawks CEO Steve Koonin and local civil rights leaders was cancelled last night by the team. THe action led the group to come down to the Hawks home, Philips Arena, and tell anyone with a camera that he and his group were less than happy.
The Rev. Markel Hutchins got a phone call from Hawks Media Relations Director Garin Narain asking that it be postponed, but Hutchins wanted to hear that from Koonin instead of the front office.
Hutchins and his group are calling for Hawks President/GM Danny Ferry to be fired for his remarks that he relayed from a scouting report about Luol Deng as the team was chasing free agents over the summer. They also want minority ownership in the team once the team is officially put up for sale.
Here's the lead story at noon today in the HQ
Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5
Koonin maintains that Ferry has been disciplined, but he won't be fired.
All that may change when the team gets a new owner who wants to put his own stamp on the franchise, anyway.
Showing posts with label Bruce Levenson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bruce Levenson. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Danny Ferry Releases Statement On Deng Appraisal, Hawks Continue Implosion
The Atlanta Hawks continue to be the schleprock of the NBA currently, and you know it's bad when Ray Rice is the only thing in the news keeping you from being the lead...
Hawks COO Steve Koonin maintains that President/GM Danny Ferry will keep his job after he read the backgrounder on Luol Deng aloud two years ago and the word crept out that this event actually did happen.
Ferry released a statement about his mea culpa:
"In regards to the insensitive remarks that were used during our due diligence process, I was repeating comments that were gathered from numerous sources during background conversations and scouting about different players. I repeated those comments during a telephone conversation reviewing the draft and free agency process. Those words do not reflect my views, or words that I would use to describe an individual and I certainly regret it. I apologize to those I offended and to Luol, who I reached out to Monday morning.
In terms of the email that Bruce sent, the situation is disturbing and disappointing on many levels and I understand Bruce's words were offensive.
I am committed to learning from this and deeply regret this situation. I fully understand we have work to do in order to help us create a better organization; one that our players and fans will be proud of, on and off the court, and that is where my focus is moving forward."
Co-owner Michael Gearon, Junior wanted Ferry gone right then and there and told anyone willing to listen that the guy should be out on his ear. A letter dated this June expressed his grave concerns for the franchise if the word got out. The letter was sent to television stations in the market and authenticated anonymously.
The minority partners made their peace in the next-to-last paragraph and the irony oozes from the words on the page:
"If Ferry's comments are ever made public, and it's a safe bet to say they will someday, it could be fatal to the franchise. All of our partners have worked and spent a lot of money not just to make the Hawks winners, but to make our city and region proud of the organization. As lifelong Atlantans with a public track record of diversity and inclusion, we are especially fearful of the unfair consequences when we eventually get thrown under the bus with Ferry."
The HQ has a good idea who made the letter public and it's a safe play that they weren't fans of Ferry's hire in the first place... or Levenson's place as majority owner, either.
And when the I-Team over at MyFoxAtlanta gets a hold of this, you know you're not in a good place.
Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5
Hawks COO Steve Koonin maintains that President/GM Danny Ferry will keep his job after he read the backgrounder on Luol Deng aloud two years ago and the word crept out that this event actually did happen.
Ferry released a statement about his mea culpa:
"In regards to the insensitive remarks that were used during our due diligence process, I was repeating comments that were gathered from numerous sources during background conversations and scouting about different players. I repeated those comments during a telephone conversation reviewing the draft and free agency process. Those words do not reflect my views, or words that I would use to describe an individual and I certainly regret it. I apologize to those I offended and to Luol, who I reached out to Monday morning.
In terms of the email that Bruce sent, the situation is disturbing and disappointing on many levels and I understand Bruce's words were offensive.
I am committed to learning from this and deeply regret this situation. I fully understand we have work to do in order to help us create a better organization; one that our players and fans will be proud of, on and off the court, and that is where my focus is moving forward."
Co-owner Michael Gearon, Junior wanted Ferry gone right then and there and told anyone willing to listen that the guy should be out on his ear. A letter dated this June expressed his grave concerns for the franchise if the word got out. The letter was sent to television stations in the market and authenticated anonymously.
The minority partners made their peace in the next-to-last paragraph and the irony oozes from the words on the page:
"If Ferry's comments are ever made public, and it's a safe bet to say they will someday, it could be fatal to the franchise. All of our partners have worked and spent a lot of money not just to make the Hawks winners, but to make our city and region proud of the organization. As lifelong Atlantans with a public track record of diversity and inclusion, we are especially fearful of the unfair consequences when we eventually get thrown under the bus with Ferry."
The HQ has a good idea who made the letter public and it's a safe play that they weren't fans of Ferry's hire in the first place... or Levenson's place as majority owner, either.
And when the I-Team over at MyFoxAtlanta gets a hold of this, you know you're not in a good place.
Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5
Monday, September 8, 2014
Hawks Internal Meeting On Deng Exposed Levenson
((HT: Fox News/AJC))
It appears that an internal background report that described a potential free agent pick-up may have sparked the whole "Bruce Levenson is now selling the Atlanta Hawks" turn of events...
A report linked to Luol Deng had some racially-insensitive words attached to it. GM Danny Ferry read the unedited report aloud in the meeting and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Chris Vivlamore has the paragraph in question as:
“He is still a young guy overall. He is a good guy overall. But he is not perfect. He’s got some African in him. And I don’t say that in a bad way.”
The background information on Deng had not been vetted appropriately and led to it being read in its entirety. GM Danny Ferry will be disciplined, but not fired for his recitation in the meeting.
The paragraph led to an internal investigation by the team's law firm. The firm then spoke to 19 people and reviewed over 24,000 documents, Hawks CEO Steve Koonin told the AJC over the weekend. It was during the investigation that the Levenson e-mail directed to Ferry and co-owners Ed Peskowitz and Todd Foreman was discovered.
Here's the HQ's alter ego discussing Levenson with FOSG Jonathan Serrie
((ed note--You'll have to click on the link HERE to watch because Fox's Webmaster is having a bad day and didn't code correctly and we can't fix it. --Go to about the 1min mark on the video))
It appears that an internal background report that described a potential free agent pick-up may have sparked the whole "Bruce Levenson is now selling the Atlanta Hawks" turn of events...
A report linked to Luol Deng had some racially-insensitive words attached to it. GM Danny Ferry read the unedited report aloud in the meeting and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Chris Vivlamore has the paragraph in question as:
“He is still a young guy overall. He is a good guy overall. But he is not perfect. He’s got some African in him. And I don’t say that in a bad way.”
The background information on Deng had not been vetted appropriately and led to it being read in its entirety. GM Danny Ferry will be disciplined, but not fired for his recitation in the meeting.
The paragraph led to an internal investigation by the team's law firm. The firm then spoke to 19 people and reviewed over 24,000 documents, Hawks CEO Steve Koonin told the AJC over the weekend. It was during the investigation that the Levenson e-mail directed to Ferry and co-owners Ed Peskowitz and Todd Foreman was discovered.
Here's the HQ's alter ego discussing Levenson with FOSG Jonathan Serrie
((ed note--You'll have to click on the link HERE to watch because Fox's Webmaster is having a bad day and didn't code correctly and we can't fix it. --Go to about the 1min mark on the video))
Sunday, September 7, 2014
DEVELOPING: Levenson To Sell Hawks Interest After "Racist E-Mail" Discovered (UPDATED With E-Mail))
((HT: Yahoo!Sports-Wojnarowski))
The Atlanta Hawks are the schleprock of the NBA...
No matter who the owner is and how much alleged investment is involved and/or promised to the community, nothing has changed since the days of Ted Turner being the media mogul/magnate and the days of Dominique versus Larry Bird.
The destination is as undesirable as you can get. The fan base small at best and the town is apathetic toward the franchise since the cirle of life lends itself to no marquee players- which means there is little reason to wander to a downtown arena in a mediocre conference where playoff appearances are, literally, assured and the team has to overpay to bring talent in- or get them to stay.
Remember Joe Johnson...???
So, when Adrian Wojnarowski announced on his Twitter feed that Levenson was selling, the HQ has the distinct feeling that some other action was on the cusp of happening (oh, like, a lawsuit or something...) and Levenson is out...
Commissioner Adam Silver released the following statement once the e-mail was discovered...
An e-mail written in 2012...
“Following Bruce Levenson notifying the league office this July of his August 2012 email, the NBA commenced an independent investigation regarding the circumstances of Mr. Levenson’s comments.
Prior to the completion of the investigation, Mr. Levenson notified me last evening that he had decided to sell his controlling interest in the Atlanta Hawks. As Mr. Levenson acknowledged, the views he expressed are entirely unacceptable and are in stark contrast to the core principles of the National Basketball Association. He shared with me how truly remorseful he is for using those hurtful words and how apologetic he is to the entire NBA family – fans, players, team employees, business partners and fellow team owners – for having diverted attention away from our game.
I commend Mr. Levenson for self-reporting to the league office, for being fully cooperative with the league and its independent investigator, and for putting the best interests of the Hawks, the Atlanta community, and the NBA first.
We will be working with the Hawks ownership group on the appropriate process for the sale of the team and I have offered our full support to Hawks CEO Steve Koonin, who will now oversee all team operations.
The NBA and its teams have long had in place anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies in order to facilitate respectful and diverse workplaces. Earlier this summer, the league re-doubled its efforts by, among other things, making it mandatory for all league and team personnel to receive annual training on these issues."
Levenson issued a statement where he touched on what was said as he was trying to figure out:
ways to increase attendance at games:
"In trying to address those issues, an e-mail I wrote 2 years ago that was inappropriate and offensive. I trivialized our fans by making cliched assumptions about their interests and by stereotyping their assumptions about one another."
"By focusing on race, I also sent the unintentional and hurtful message that our white fans are more valuable than our black fans."
"If you're angry about what I wrote, you should be. I'm angry at myself, too. It was inflammatory nonsense. We all may have subtle biases and preconceptions when it comes to race, but my role as a leader is to challenge them, not to validate or accommodate those who might hold them."
The Hawks, and their interim CEO Steve Koonin released their own statement:
To the City of Atlanta and Hawks Fans,
Today’s statement from Controlling Owner Bruce Levenson is extremely disappointing and the email that he sent over two years ago was alarming, offensive and most of all, completely unacceptable and does not reflect the principles and values of the Hawks organization. In partnership with the NBA, we will work to ensure that a new ownership team will be put in place that is united and committed to the Atlanta community.
Steve Koonin
CEO, Atlanta Hawks
It marks the next, and now, last involvement of the Atlanta Spirit, LLC group in this market that has been nothing short of an absymal failure on multiple levels- arena, ownership, legal battles, behind-the-scenes desires to sell, the loss of a hockey franchise, and now "racist" e-mails that are sending them out of town on rail...
But far too late for any of it to matter as, the HQ is certain, there are very few tears shed...
Exhibit A being below...
((HT: Sportsnet))
For the record, here's a link to the full e-mail which says in part:
My theory is that the black crowd scared away the whites and there are simply not enough affluent
black fans to build a signficant season ticket base. Please dont get me wrong. There was nothing
threatening going on in the arean back then. i never felt uncomfortable, but i think southern whites
simply were not comfortable being in an arena or at a bar where they were in the minority. On fan sites i
would read comments about how dangerous it is around philips yet in our 9 years, i don't know of a
mugging or even a pick pocket incident. This was just racist garbage. When I hear some people saying
the arena is in the wrong place I think it is code for there are too many blacks at the games.
I have been open with our executive team about these concerns. I have told them I want some white
cheerleaders and while i don't care what the color of the artist is, i want the music to be music familiar
to a 40 year old white guy if that's our season tixs demo. i have also balked when every fan picked out of
crowd to shoot shots in some time out contest is black. I have even bitched that the kiss cam is too
black.
Not good...
The Atlanta Hawks are the schleprock of the NBA...
No matter who the owner is and how much alleged investment is involved and/or promised to the community, nothing has changed since the days of Ted Turner being the media mogul/magnate and the days of Dominique versus Larry Bird.
The destination is as undesirable as you can get. The fan base small at best and the town is apathetic toward the franchise since the cirle of life lends itself to no marquee players- which means there is little reason to wander to a downtown arena in a mediocre conference where playoff appearances are, literally, assured and the team has to overpay to bring talent in- or get them to stay.
Remember Joe Johnson...???
So, when Adrian Wojnarowski announced on his Twitter feed that Levenson was selling, the HQ has the distinct feeling that some other action was on the cusp of happening (oh, like, a lawsuit or something...) and Levenson is out...
Commissioner Adam Silver released the following statement once the e-mail was discovered...
An e-mail written in 2012...
“Following Bruce Levenson notifying the league office this July of his August 2012 email, the NBA commenced an independent investigation regarding the circumstances of Mr. Levenson’s comments.
Prior to the completion of the investigation, Mr. Levenson notified me last evening that he had decided to sell his controlling interest in the Atlanta Hawks. As Mr. Levenson acknowledged, the views he expressed are entirely unacceptable and are in stark contrast to the core principles of the National Basketball Association. He shared with me how truly remorseful he is for using those hurtful words and how apologetic he is to the entire NBA family – fans, players, team employees, business partners and fellow team owners – for having diverted attention away from our game.
I commend Mr. Levenson for self-reporting to the league office, for being fully cooperative with the league and its independent investigator, and for putting the best interests of the Hawks, the Atlanta community, and the NBA first.
We will be working with the Hawks ownership group on the appropriate process for the sale of the team and I have offered our full support to Hawks CEO Steve Koonin, who will now oversee all team operations.
The NBA and its teams have long had in place anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies in order to facilitate respectful and diverse workplaces. Earlier this summer, the league re-doubled its efforts by, among other things, making it mandatory for all league and team personnel to receive annual training on these issues."
Levenson issued a statement where he touched on what was said as he was trying to figure out:
ways to increase attendance at games:
"In trying to address those issues, an e-mail I wrote 2 years ago that was inappropriate and offensive. I trivialized our fans by making cliched assumptions about their interests and by stereotyping their assumptions about one another."
"By focusing on race, I also sent the unintentional and hurtful message that our white fans are more valuable than our black fans."
"If you're angry about what I wrote, you should be. I'm angry at myself, too. It was inflammatory nonsense. We all may have subtle biases and preconceptions when it comes to race, but my role as a leader is to challenge them, not to validate or accommodate those who might hold them."
The Hawks, and their interim CEO Steve Koonin released their own statement:
To the City of Atlanta and Hawks Fans,
Today’s statement from Controlling Owner Bruce Levenson is extremely disappointing and the email that he sent over two years ago was alarming, offensive and most of all, completely unacceptable and does not reflect the principles and values of the Hawks organization. In partnership with the NBA, we will work to ensure that a new ownership team will be put in place that is united and committed to the Atlanta community.
Steve Koonin
CEO, Atlanta Hawks
It marks the next, and now, last involvement of the Atlanta Spirit, LLC group in this market that has been nothing short of an absymal failure on multiple levels- arena, ownership, legal battles, behind-the-scenes desires to sell, the loss of a hockey franchise, and now "racist" e-mails that are sending them out of town on rail...
But far too late for any of it to matter as, the HQ is certain, there are very few tears shed...
Exhibit A being below...
((HT: Sportsnet))
For the record, here's a link to the full e-mail which says in part:
My theory is that the black crowd scared away the whites and there are simply not enough affluent
black fans to build a signficant season ticket base. Please dont get me wrong. There was nothing
threatening going on in the arean back then. i never felt uncomfortable, but i think southern whites
simply were not comfortable being in an arena or at a bar where they were in the minority. On fan sites i
would read comments about how dangerous it is around philips yet in our 9 years, i don't know of a
mugging or even a pick pocket incident. This was just racist garbage. When I hear some people saying
the arena is in the wrong place I think it is code for there are too many blacks at the games.
I have been open with our executive team about these concerns. I have told them I want some white
cheerleaders and while i don't care what the color of the artist is, i want the music to be music familiar
to a 40 year old white guy if that's our season tixs demo. i have also balked when every fan picked out of
crowd to shoot shots in some time out contest is black. I have even bitched that the kiss cam is too
black.
Not good...
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