Scandal Envelops Mavericks

This was how Mark Cuban’s fared last week: fined a colossal sum for being too honest, the day after a report of grotesque behavior at his basketball team drew questions about his potential role in what amounts to a long-running sexual harassment cover-up.

Cuban’s disruption often takes the form of verbal grenades lobbed at referees in the NBA, whose reputation as one of America’s more progressive sporting bodies boosted by the decisive 2014 ousting of former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for racist remarks has taken a hit in the past week.

The previous night, Sports Illustrated published a story alleging the Mavericks have fostered “a corporate culture rife with misogyny and predatory sexual behavior: alleged public fondling by the team president; outright domestic assault by a high-profile member of staff; unsupportive or even intimidating responses from superiors who heard complaints of inappropriate behavior from their employees; even an employee who openly watched pornography at his desk.” The article includes claims of sexual harassment against the former team president and CEO, Terdema Ussery (who has denied them).

Cuban has not been accused of sexual harassment and has commissioned an independent investigation and expressed surprise and horror at the revelations.

A Mavericks staff member was deemed such a risk to women that he signed a contract agreeing not to be alone with female co-workers and was kept on even after being arrested on team property on suspicion of assault.

Cuban writes: “I have absolutely nothing to hide, and if I ever run for President you will have to take my word for it.”