Fined $2.5 Million as well. More to come. NBA urging him to sell Team as well. Commissioner says he will try to force a sale of the Clippers
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
39 comments:
Commish is just doing as he is told.He's only the one who is supposed to be in charge.
I agree what this fool did was racist, but how can you ban a person from entering a building that he owns.
I hope Sterling sues the crap out of the NBA for this. All from a private coversation he had in his private home that was probably recorded without his knowledge from his money hungry, coniving girlfriend. Yes, what he said was wrong. But this is America and we are entitled to free speech. Next thing you know, the NBA will force out Mark Cuban because of his views on politics or any other owner because of their views.
2:50 is on the money here....with all the liberals preaching tolerance - how 'bout tolerating someone else's right to free speech.
If he actually said it in his own home with the expectation of privacy - the injustice is doubled.
Our rights are being stolen from us by the very politicians we elected to preserve them!
He is a creepy old man. Gross.
It will never stand.
Am I the only one who doesn't see what the big deal is here? The man was having what he thought was a "private" conversation. He didn't even use the "N" word that I know of. We better wake up before we don't have any rights left!! I'm not one for lawsuits but I hope he files one and wins big!!
So much for free speech and right of association.
Love to see a list of the anti-discrimination groups with their hands out for the 2.5 Mil. I'm sure there's not a racist, e.g., Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, in the bunch.
No one's rights are being stolen. Perhaps you should all review the structure of the nba. Dude may own the clippers but he does not own the nba and being apart of the nba is not a right enshrined in the Constitution. He is perfectly entitled to hold onto his stake in the team and also perfectly entitled to start his own league. I'm pretty sure he knew the rules of personal conduct that come with being an nba owner. It's no different from McDonald's taking their name back from a franchisee that refuses to follow food safety requirements or other company protocols.
His chick what is she about $2,200.00 an hour?
THIS JUST IN...OBAMAS REVERAND WRIGHT SPEWS ANTI WHITE HATE IN HIS CHURCH....STILL PREACHING...?
AL SHARPTON SPEWS RACIST LIES STARTS A RIOT IN NYC .....ALL LIES NOTHING DONE...?
ONE OLD RACIST MAN GETS RECORDED ILLEGALY ...BY A ASIAN MAN....LOOSES TEAM AND BANNED FOR LIFE WHATS WRONG WITH THIS REVERSED RACIST BS ....
KEEP UP THE ONE SIDED ACTION YOU LIBERAL MORONS.
People still watch that garbage? Stern is a game fixing idiot. RIP NBA.
I don't recognize America anymore with these communist policies of property taking whether it be the EPA,NBA or whomever.
Maybe he should retire to the eastern shore. He would fit right in.
The man is a billionaire. I guess he can pay the price for freedom of speech. The rest of us don't have that luxury. When black leaders stand up and preach anti- white racism, nothing is done. Wake up people. I fear it's going to get worse.
The brothers say that they made him rich. i say without his money and building they are still playing pickup ball in Harlem.
screw ALL professional sports!
Charles Barkley stated the NBA is a "black" league. He is right. 83% of the players are black.
This is an injustice. White's need to sue for the opportunity for parody in the league. It is unfair to have the players subjected to UNEQUAL proportions of players.
Time for some affirmative action in the NBA!
Also, she will be arrested for violating wire tapping or tape recording laws and will be convicted.
I don't care for what he said, but if we truly live in a free country, he should be allowed say what ever he wants. Political correctness has destroyed everyone's ability to free speech.
Spike Lee works for the NBA and is an outspoken racist and yet he keeps his job. Larry Johnson works for the Knicks and called for segregation and he keeps his job...THE NBA IS RACIST !
I'm with 4:31. I can not afford freedom of speech. Our Constitutional rights have been thrown in the garbage in favor of political correctness. The Hell with political correctness. Perhaps I'm suffering from Emotional Constipation because I have not given a crap about Obama because he is a liar and instigator.
This guy's supposed girlfriend is bi-racial (1/2 black & 1/2 Latino), so why is he with her? And why would she be with him if he's so racist?
439, that is the dumbest statement of the entire post. It's the fans that fund the league. They would pay to see these same guys play that pickup game in Harlem. Without this guy they would still sell their jerseys and still be on the commercials. By the way its looking, without this guy, they'll still be making millions when as folks clamor for the nba product. He makes money off the fans who come for the players. Nobody comes to see him
Black is beautiful, and so is tan. BUT, white is the color of the big boss man.
NAACP forgave him on tv,must be money involved.
for the most part, i'm with 2:50. also, I'm not so sure what the actual content of the full conversations taped was (since we are only getting handpicked soundbites)but i've been thinking maybe he was asking her to stop bragging about all the guys she's hooking up with since she is supposed to be his girlfriend. And that he looks the other way but not if she keeps posting pics of herself with all these guys. He used the word "black" to describe the guys she was with. Well, they were black, they didnt appear to be white or asian or hispanic, or purple, and he didnt say the N word so If they want to punish him, have all of his players leave the team and force him to pay out on the remainder of their contracts. then he has no team to sell and will get bottom dollar. He loses the money he's invested and they can start all over again with a new team and a new owner. this whole mess is probably going to give him a heart attack very soon anyway.
If the owner was black saying things about white people, nothing would have been done. Tired of all this "poor me, I'm black" attitude.
To you guys commenting it's free speech-IT DOESN'T MATTER. The First Amendment doesn't protect you from private restrictions on your free speech, and the NBA is a private association which Sterling voluntarily entered. There are multiple stipulations and clauses in his ownership contract of the franchise that (while it admittedly would be more difficult) also allow the other owners to effectively kick him out. It's no more than owning a stake in a really exclusive club; if you do something that violates club rules (say, for example, saying some morally reprehensible things), you can get kicked out at their mercy, or at the very least suspended indefinitely. It's that simple, stop bringing the First Amendment into it unless the state arrests him or something.
3:06 is spot on the money. This has nothing to do with his free speech rights people; he's not being arrested, and the state isn't taking away his property or anything. His ownership stake in the most exclusive club in the world is being taken away, and they're well within their rights to do so, especially for the disgusting s*** he said. Maybe focus on that more, less on his "rights" being taken away. Don't make him a victim here, he has no right to be viewed of as one
Democrat disrespecting Democrats gets punished by Democrats to the cheers of Democrats.
Film at 11.
This is not about free speech. This is about a man who got caught spewing out racist statements against black men who have made him a billionaire. Not only is he a racist, he is also an allege adulterous. He does not deserve to an owner of a NBA team. With his slave mentality, his blatant disrespect for women and his wife proves that he does not deserve to ride the backs of any NBA player.
Free speech is not for Corporations/Business, in which he was talking about his business. Read sometimes.
Some of you just don't get it. Today was a momentous day for all people. So many sounded off against Donald Sterling and his racist, bigot, hateful, adulterous and discriminating friends. There is entirely no room on this earth for the likes of him. This old fossil slave master mentality WWII generational kid will die one day. Hopefully his unfortunate learned behavior will die with him. Hating someone based on the color of their skin is so old news. I wish all you racist get over it. Have a bless day.
Lets remember this morons it was a private conversation taped by a woman who spent the whole time baiting him. Yes he is. Racist and wrong in some of what he said but its freedom of speech like it or not. This suspension won't last long as im sure his lawyer is well trained on dumb knee jerk reactions. Its not like he did this publicly.....wake up folks.....these comments are dumb.
What many people don’t realize is that what people refer to as “hate speech”—by which they mean speech that is hateful—is protected by the First Amendment. However,there is a form of speech known as “fighting words” that are words without social value directed to a specific individual, that would provoke a reasonable member of the group about whom the words are spoken. If you know that someone is likely to haul off and hit you if you call him a racial epithet, you’ve spoken fighting words and your speech is not protected by the First Amendment.
Therefore, the decision made by the NBA commissioner was justified.
7:05 and 1:47 are both wrong for different reasons (I should know, with As in two different semesters of Constitutional Law classes). 1:47-this speech would not rise to the level of "fighting words," and had the state actually tried to do anything about it (such as fine or arrest Sterling's racist a@@), he likely would have been protected under the 1st Amendment.
HOWEVER, 7:05 am and people like you are wrong in every way to argue that he's protected by the 1st Amendment, and this is another example of "liberal democrats stamping on my 1st Amendment rights!"
You have NO freedom of speech rights in things such as being a part of the privately held NBA. Actions by the NBA commissioner, taken by league procedures and the league constitution that Mr. Sterling himself signed up for, are perfectly legal-even including kicking him out of the league forever. His racist speech (and general despicable manner) would be protected against government action, but THIS ISN'T GOVERNMENT ACTION. The NBA has every right to do what they're doing, and more than that, they're doing the right thing. No way Sterling wins any lawsuit, except to perhaps have some control of the sale of the team.
You're welcome for the legal analysis.
April 30, 2014 at 7:35 PM,
1:47pm is right. Sterling hateful words come under the "fighting word" doctrine for caselaw, Chaplinsky v New Hampshere.
April 30, 2014 at 7:35 PM,
First amendment meaning:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Freedom of speech in the United States is protected by the First Amendment and is re-established in the majority of state and federal laws. This particular clause typically protects and individual’s right to partake in even distasteful rhetoric, such as racist or sexist comments and distasteful remarks towards public policy. Speech directed towards some subjects; however, such as child pornography or speech that incites an imminent threat, as well commercial forms of speech are regulated.
Secondly, It is thus inaccurate to infer that the theory of the private business of ideas
requires that the First Amendment protect all speech that communicates personal racist
ideas. Instead the first amendment requires the protection only of speech that communicates
ideas and that is embedded in the kinds of social practices that
produce truth.
The lawyers will have a field day with this and Sterling has a good chance to come out the victor. The fact that he is an azzhole is irrelevant - name me one person associated with the NBA who isn't. First, the objectionable speech was not public - actually it is looking to have been a clumsy extortion attempt. Not sure that the NBA charter holds up under these circumstances. Secondly, Sterling's quotes were no more racist than a lot of the drivel mouthed by other players and owners. Actually, they were considerably more benign. Highly selective enforcement of their own rules leaves another door ajar. I have to disagree with all the 'experts' on the board - Sterling could make this interesting if he so desires.
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