Menu
Leagues and Governing Bodies

GRANTHAM RESIGNATION CONTINUES TO RAISE QUESTIONS

     NBA players "were portrayed yesterday as being outraged that
they have not been informed of the reasons behind the abrupt
resignation" of NBPA Exec Dir Charles Grantham, writes Murray
Chass of the N.Y. TIMES.  "Some players, according to their
agents, believe the union is engaged in a cover-up of the real
reasons" for Grantham's departure.  A joint release from the
union and Grantham on Friday cited only "irreconcilable
differences," and as of yesterday players still had not been
informed what that meant.  In an interview, Grantham denied all
rumors:  "How many organizations have you seen change
leaderships?  It's never one thing; it's a series of several
things.  Leadership wanted to go in one direction, I in another.
There was disagreement.  I chose to resign."  Simon Gourdine, the
NBPA's General Counsel and a former Deputy Commissioner of the
NBA, has taken over as Exec Dir.  While one agent says that "no
one expects Simon to be the one negotiating with David Stern,"
Chass floats a "bizarre" scenario by which Richard Ravitch,
former negotiator for MLB's owners, would take over the NBPA's
negotiations.  Ravitch headed New York's Metropolitan Transit
Authority when Gourdine was counsel there.  In addition, labor
lawyers and agents both raised concerns that a financial
settlement was reached with Grantham without a vote of player
reps, and that Gourdine assumed the Exec Dir position without a
vote of the Executive Board (N.Y. TIMES, 4/19).
     MORE DIGGING:  Jackie MacMullan reports that Grantham was
"forced out because of alleged improprieties involving expense
accounts."  One player rep:  "It had nothing to do with
collective bargaining" (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/18).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/1995/04/19/Leagues-Governing-Bodies/GRANTHAM-RESIGNATION-CONTINUES-TO-RAISE-QUESTIONS.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/1995/04/19/Leagues-Governing-Bodies/GRANTHAM-RESIGNATION-CONTINUES-TO-RAISE-QUESTIONS.aspx

CLOSE