NAACP returning all donations made by Donald Sterling
LOS ANGELES -- The NAACP says Donald Sterling will not be receiving its lifetime achievement award from its Los Angeles branch after the Clippers owner allegedly made racially charged comments in a recorded conversation.
Leon Jenkins, president of the LA NAACP, said at a news conference Monday that donations made by Sterling will be returned. He wouldn't say how much money was involved but called it an "insignificant amount."
Sterling's purported comments urging a woman to not bring black people to his team's games have overshadowed the NBA's opening playoff round.
There still has been no official confirmation that Sterling is on the recording, portions of which were released over the weekend by TMZ and Deadspin.
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Meanwhile, used car dealership chain CarMax and airline Virgin America said Monday that they are ending their sponsorship of the Clippers. A third sponsor, insurer State Farm, said it "will be taking a pause in our relationship with the organization."
The NBA said it would make an announcement about its investigation involving Sterling on Tuesday.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver's first priority is verifying Sterling's voice is on the recording. From there, Silver's next move remains unclear. He works for the owners - and so far that group seems to have no sympathy for Sterling's latest controversy.
Among those who have spoken out publicly to condemn the alleged Sterling remarks: Washington's Ted Leonsis, Miami's Micky Arison and perhaps most notably, Charlotte's Michael Jordan, who won six NBA titles as a player.