The allegations against Clippers owner Donald Sterling are truly disgusting. There's no other way to put it. There's no place for that type of behavior in sports. And if they are able to prove that it is Sterling's voice on that tape, then I don't think NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has any other recourse. Sterling should no longer be allowed to have any association with the NBA, yet alone own a team.
Of course, these are still just allegations at this point. It's important not to jump to conclusions. Because, for argument's sake, if that wasn't him, Sterling would have pretty good grounds for a lawsuit. Although, I think his silence since this all broke speaks volumes. He hasn't said anything. No immediate damage control press conference seeking to clarify the remarks. Nothing.
All of the residual effects of this scandal have been plenty damaging as well. Sponsors are disassociating themselves with the Clippers left and right. And more are likely to follow unless/until Sterling sells the team. What happened is completely unacceptable. I don't blame them for one second for wanting to take their business elsewhere. It's LA. There are plenty of sponsorship opportunities available.
It's also telling that the Clippers players and coach Doc Rivers want nothing to do with Donald Sterling right now, either. Rivers, who is black, refused a meeting with Sterling, and he's now contemplating whether he wants to return to the team. But what the players did is even more remarkable. They wore their alternate "Los Angeles" road jerseys for Sunday night's game at Golden State, and they refused to wear any Clippers gear during warmups, instead wearing their shirts inside out. They also wore black socks, and were joined in this sign of solidarity by members of the Blazers and Rockets.
The players union is very definitive in its stance. They want Sterling out of the league. As soon as possible. Same thing with a bunch of other owners. I can't say I disagree with them. Unfortunately, though, it's not that simple. They can't just make him sell the team. Although, the other 29 owners, the league office and the players union could provide enough pressure that they'd leave him with very little choice. Nobody will want to be in business with someone who can make comments like that in 2014.
Even if they do make him sell, I'd imagine that Sterling will stubbornly hold onto the Clippers for dear life until the last possible moment, when they forcibly drag him away kicking and screaming. This is the same city where Frank McCourt drove the Dodgers into the ground, yet refused to sell until ordered to by a judge.
I'm not exactly sure how the process works, but I think we're more likely to see a George Steinbrenner-type situation here. Steinbrenner was suspended for two years in the mid-90s because of, well, a lot of things, but mainly because he hired a private investigator to dig up dirt on Dave Winfield.
Donald Sterling has been bad for the NBA for a long time. Remember, the Clippers were awful for a very long time because he simply showed no interest in fielding a competitive team. He was making money anyway, and without having to shell it out to the players, Sterling was able to pocket more. This isn't even the first time race has come up with him. Sterling allegedly made racial remarks towards Lakers legend Elgin Baylor while Baylor was the Clippers' GM.
If Donald Sterling indeed made these remarks, and all signs point towards that being the case, the NBA needs to come down on him hard. This type of behavior cannot and will not be tolerated. They need to make an example of Donald Sterling. He can't get away with it. Fortunately, he's not going to.
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