The way this man has lived his life it seems this downfall was going to eventually happen. However his girlfriend and TMZ are no better.

Psh, I love it, dropping the hammer on sterling

So the NBA let any moron in there to ask questions?

While I feel it was blown out of proportion, I think the punishment fits what the public turned this into. Anything less and the backlash would have been horrible for the league.

They can't legally make him sell. The process allowed by the NBA constitution is to begin the process of terminating the franchise itself and they will use that as a pressure point.

The old fart is going to fight and he may try to cause as much chaos as possible.

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So the NBA let any moron in there to ask questions?

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as I saw on Twitter, huge missed opportunity for 1920s reporter guy.

What happens if they win the championship this year? Does he get the trophy?

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While I feel it was blown out of proportion, I think the punishment fits what the public turned this into. Anything less and the backlash would have been horrible for the league.

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Exactly. Silver needed to make his statement and he did.

"The man said something ignorant and foolish, but can we call mainstream media what it has become, a modern-day lynch mob?"

Ding ding ding!! I agree the guy is probably not a great person judging by his comments but this kind of punishment is wrong IMO. it's unconstitutional if he's forced to sell.

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What happens if they win the championship this year? Does he get the trophy?

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Is this your example of one of the moronic questions I referred to or are you just an idiot?

[This message has been edited by Junkhead (edited 4/29/2014 1:41p).]

from ESPN's legal analyst's article:

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Q: Is it possible for Silver and the NBA to terminate Sterling's franchise ownership?

A: Yes. Under the terms of Paragraph 13 of the constitution, the owners can terminate another owner's franchise with a vote of three-fourths of the NBA Board of Governors, which is composed of all 30 owners. The power to terminate is limited to things like gambling and fraud in the application for ownership, but it also includes a provision for termination when an owner "fails to fulfill" a "contractual obligation" in "such a way as to affect the [NBA] or its members adversely." Silver and the owners could assert that Sterling's statements violated the constitution's requirements to conduct business on a "reasonable" and "ethical" level.

Any owner or Silver can initiate the termination procedure with a written charge describing the violation. Sterling would have five days to respond to the charge with a written answer. The commissioner would then schedule a special meeting of the NBA Board of Governors within 10 days. Both sides would have a chance to present their evidence, and then the board would vote. If three-fourths of the board members vote to terminate, then Sterling would face termination of his ownership. It would require a vote of two-thirds of the board to reduce the termination to a fine. Terminating a franchise would obviously be a drastic remedy, but the potential of the termination procedure gives Silver and the other owners vast leverage in any discussion with Sterling about an involuntary sale of his team.

Q: Sterling is notoriously litigious. Can he go to court to stop Silver from punishing him?

A: Not effectively. When Silver issues his punishment to Sterling, the decision is final. The constitution provides in Paragraph 24(m) that a commissioner's decision shall be "final, binding, and conclusive" and shall be as final as an award of arbitration. It is almost impossible to find a judge in the United States judicial system who would set aside an award of arbitration. Sterling can file a lawsuit, but he would face a humiliating defeat early in the process. There is no antitrust theory or principle that would help him against Silver and the NBA. He could claim an antitrust violation, for example, if he were trying to move his team to a different market. But under the terms of the NBA constitution, he has no chance to succeed in litigation over punishment.

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[This message has been edited by Old School Brother (edited 4/29/2014 1:41p).]

I expect this to be in the courts for a long time. If you force him to sell the team, there's no way he will get a true fair market value. The fact that all this is coming from an illegal tape recording will probably be brought up too.

MemAg92, I believe the league's nuclear option is narrowly focused on having proof that an owner is involved with gambling on NBA games.

FIFY

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The media reported an owner of an NBA franchise spouting racist drivel. Sterling should've been a bit more open minded and respectful and none of this would've happened, that was his only real mistake.

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For years and years he trampled on the rights of minorities and violated the Fair Housing Act repeatedly and the NBA knew about it. They did nothing.

Then he says something disparaging about Earvin Johnson and all of a sudden he's out the door?

I agree the guy is despicable but with the full knowledge of his racial bias and violation of minorities rights for an extended period they did nothing. The NBA looks worse than Sterling in my opinion.

just one more reason you don't F with Magic.

^
Or Silver...

@Old School Bro

[This message has been edited by iceman08 (edited 4/29/2014 1:51p).]

Marge Schott was only banned from baseball for one year for calling Eric Davis a "Million-dollar ******".

This is overboard. A year or two suspension and the huge fine should have been it unless they have evidence he's been making discriminatory decisions with how he ran his franchise. I haven't seen evidence of that, not to say it doesn't exist though. If it does, then I question the league's credibility just as much as I do his for waiting until something went public to act.


[This message has been edited by DannyDuberstein (edited 4/29/2014 2:00p).]

everyone saying this is not fair to Sterling, let's not feel too badly for him. his punishment is going to be to take $1B for the Clippers. how much is $1B - $2.5MM? I think it's still a lot.

I haven't followed the NBA in a long time so this is no skin off my teeth but if I were a fan then I would turn it off. The NBA is dead wrong on this and allowed the media to corner them into doing something way over the top. If Sterling has any balls he will torpedo that franchise and let it rot. The value of being in Los Angeles will remain intact and his heirs can pick up the pieces when he dies. Again, the value of the team will remain high due to its location. And the sponsors will come back eventually. Sterling also needs to fire Doc Rivers immediately. Doc Rivers has acted like a child during this and has done it solely for publicity.

Sterling is 78 years old and is one feisty man. I do not think he will go down without sending a few bricks through the NBAs window. And to think he got taken down over something as silly as this.

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everyone saying this is not fair to Sterling, let's not feel too badly for him. his punishment is going to be to take $1B for the Clippers. how much is $1B - $2.5MM? I think it's still a lot.

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I kind of disagree with the principle of forcing someone to sell their property just because they are a dirtbag.

If it's in the bylaws, it's in the bylaws. The owners agreed to be governed by them.

Same as a contract with at@t or verizon, governed by the terms of the contract with many instances removes your right to have a legit court process and be governed by an abitrator.

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I kind of disagree with the principle of forcing someone to sell their property just because they are a dirtbag.

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I'm not 100% on board, but he had a part in approving a constitution that allows for this option.

I first heard the news of this on one of the black FM radio stations in Houston. They were actually suggesting he be forced to sell the team at the value he bought it in 1980.

Welcome to the brave new world of race. You know it is an actual crime to make racist statements in England? And I am not just talking about when you mean it and are racist. If you are a comedian and you make a joke about another race they will arrest you.

Agreed. He's a member of a club. You violate the rules of the club or harm the club, you get put out on your ear. This was far bigger than just him and his property.

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everyone saying this is not fair to Sterling, let's not feel too badly for him. his punishment is going to be to take $1B for the Clippers. how much is $1B - $2.5MM? I think it's still a lot.

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I kind of disagree with the principle of forcing someone to sell their property just because they are a dirtbag.

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So do I, but he did agree to be bound by the NBA.

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You know it is an actual crime to make racist statements in England? And I am not just talking about when you mean it and are racist. If you are a comedian and you make a joke about another race they will arrest you.

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Is that supposed to make us feel better to know that England doesn't believe in freedom of speech? Because we kind of figured that out almost 250 years ago.

[This message has been edited by aggie_2001_2005 (edited 4/29/2014 2:10p).]

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I kind of disagree with the principle of forcing someone to sell their property just because they are a dirtbag.

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I'm not 100% on board, but he had a part in approving a constitution that allows for this option.

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This. Plus his comments could negatively affect 29 other owners. He's doing harm to the whole league and not just himself.

[This message has been edited by Junkhead (edited 4/29/2014 2:09p).]

And I fully expected the NBA to come down hard on him. The NBA is a brand and it was being harmed by the negative press associated with this. Those 30 owners are in it together.

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I first heard the news of this on one of the black FM radio stations in Houston. They were actually suggesting he be forced to sell the team at the value he bought it in 1980.

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right, make him sell the team to Magic for $12MM.....now that would be punishment.

Magic Johnson is not going to buy that team. You think the owners would approve that after all the speculation he was a part of this (which I believe is false because to me Johnson is just not that way)? Magic Johnson is not going to be the next owner of the Clippers. But you can rest assured it will be a black guy.

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But you can rest assured it will be a black guy.

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Eh....I highly doubt that.

[This message has been edited by BoxingAg84 (edited 4/29/2014 2:17p).]