Boot Sterling? NBA Team Owners May Be Concerned About Skeletons In Their Closet
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) -On Tuesday, Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was banned for life by the NBA in response to racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation, but what comes next? The other NBA owners need a 75 percent vote to have Donald Sterling removed as owner.
But Detroit News columnist and 97-1 The Ticket co-host Terry Foster wonders if the other owners may be worried about their own skeletons in their closets.
"I think there is a fear ... some owners may not ... want an investigation, so they want this thing to go away as quickly as possible. The one thing about Donald Sterling, he loves to sue people, so I think the other owners have to be careful, they definitely don't want things coming out of their closet," said Foster.
Foster also thinks Clipper coach Doc Rivers and the players are hypocrites because they knew exactly what Sterling was all about when they signed their contracts.
"They knew what he stood for before, don't be surprised, don't be outraged because you signed a contract to work for this man and the whole league knew what he was about."
But now a new opinion is being formed about the NBA commissioner.
"I think that Adam Silver has established himself now as a powerful commissioner," said Foster. "I always viewed him as a ninety-nine pound weakling, now he's reached beast mode in my mind."
Commissioner Silver said he will try to force the controversial owner to sell his franchise. Sterling has also been fined $2.5 million, and Silver made no effort to hide his outrage over the comments.
He said a league investigation found that the league's longest-tenured owner was in fact the person on the audiotapes that were released over the weekend.
"We stand together in condemning Mr. Sterling's views," Silver said. "They simply have no place in the NBA."
Sterling acknowledged he was the man on the tape, Silver said.
TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.