Not The First Time – Nor The Last!!

Comments normally never surprise me, but the comments made by Clippers Owner Donald Sterling shocked me and it’s not like these are never said by others.

This was all wrong, let alone so disrespectful and show what type of individual truly is made of, let alone respect that of his players or staff.

The remarks/comments went viral especially in today’s world of the Social Media, with Facebook, Twitter and other internet pages around the world.

The action taken by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stunned the sporting world and show’s everyone that this new NBA boss means business and is that ever something that other sports can take a page from.

Issuing the strongest rebuke he could, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life for making racist comments in a recorded conversation.

This is apparently the first step toward forcing a sale of the club and permanently removing Sterling from the league, in addition to being fined $2.5 million by the NBA.

The penalties were handed down three days after the scandal broke and are the harshest ever issued by the league and among the stiffest punishments ever given to an owner in professional sports.

Silver said a league investigation found that Sterling was in fact the person on the audiotapes that were released over the weekend and immediately sent shock waves throughout the game.

“We stand together in condemning Mr. Sterling’s views,” Silver said. “They simply have no place in the NBA.”

Sterling still owns the team, but going forward he is immediately barred from attending any NBA games or practices, being present at any Clippers office or facility, participating in any business or player personnel decisions involving the team, or being part of any league business.

“This league is far bigger than any one owner, any one coach and any one player,” said Silver, who as commissioner has broad powers under what’s typically called the “best interest of the game” clause of the NBA constitution.

But Silver works for the owners, and he will need 75 percent of them – if all 30 teams vote, he’ll need 23 on his side – to force Sterling out of the league completely.

The fine will be donated to organizations dedicated to anti-discrimination and tolerance efforts that will be jointly selected by the NBA and the Players Association, Silver said.

“This has all happened in three days, and so I am hopeful there will be no long-term damage to the league and to the Clippers organization,” Silver said. “But as I said earlier, I’m outraged so I certainly understand other people’s outrage. This will take some time and appropriate healing will be necessary.”

Following the official announcement, the Clippers’ website had a simple message: “We are one,”  and clearly everyone understands this, especially the fans.

“We wholeheartedly support and embrace the decision by the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver today. Now the healing process begins,” the Clippers added in a statement.

Sterling’s comments were released over the weekend by TMZ and Deadspin, and numerous NBA owners and players have condemned them.

Not to be shocked and a lover of sport the US President voiced his concern and weighed in on the crisis, which is incidentally the first of Silver’s brief career as the new NBA Commissioner.

In the past, he’s faced extensive federal charges of civil rights violations and racial discrimination in his business dealings, and some of his race-related statements would be described as shocking.

He has also been sued in the past for sexual harassment by former employees, and even the woman who goes by the name “V. Stiviano” – purportedly the female voice on the tapes at the center of this scandal – describes Sterling in court documents as a man “with a big toothy grin brandishing his sexual prowess in the faces of the Paparazzi and caring less what anyone else thought, the least of which, his own wife.”

Stiviano is being sued by Rochelle Sterling, who is seeking to reclaim at least $1.8 million in cash and gifts that her husband allegedly provided the woman.