It is believed that Liberty President Isiah Thomas’ ownership stake in the team "will be rejected" by the WNBA BOG, according to a source cited by Frank Isola of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. It will be interesting to see how MSG Chair and Liberty Owner James Dolan "will respond" if the BOG "denies his attempt to make Thomas a minority owner" of the club. Thomas likely will "remain as team president, a title that has caused uproar among fans" since he was appointed earlier this month. Dolan has "made it clear that he values Thomas as a friend and basketball mind." Thomas has "insisted that he will not have a role with the Knicks," though some NBA execs "are convinced that Thomas accepted the job with the Liberty as an entry-level position to eventually return to the Knicks." Meanwhile, the decision to bring Thomas back into the fold "does not sit well" with Knicks President Phil Jackson. A source said that Jackson has "expressed concern over Thomas’ presence at the Garden, further fueling speculation over Jackson’s future with the Knicks and whether Thomas could be in line to eventually replace Jackson" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/16).
JUST SAY NO: In Boston, Shira Springer wrote the "right and responsible thing to do is clear: Keep Thomas out of the ownership ranks." It is "troubling enough that the Liberty named him team president." Working women "fill the ranks of WNBA teams, not only on the court but in management and marketing and media relations." Many more girls and women "aspire to play in the WNBA or start sports business careers there." For them, Thomas as Liberty president and potential part owner "is an awful message." Instead of empowerment, they "get a man with a record of sexual harassment who will hold considerable power over the Liberty’s employees and possibly the league’s future." It "doesn’t take an approval process to see how absurd, worrisome, and wrong that is" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/17). In Phoenix, Paola Boivin wrote of the WNBA BOG's pending decision regarding Thomas, "Deny it. Now." It is "disgusting enough that MSG, which owns the Liberty, recently named Thomas the president of the WNBA team." If the league "exercises the same diligence it did in investigating" the domestic violence arrests of Phoenix Mercury C Brittney Griner and Tulsa Shock F Glory Johnson, the decision on Thomas "should be obvious." Approval would "send a horrible message to young girls who look up to a league that has been groundbreaking in terms of giving female athletes opportunities." Sexual harassment "should be punished," not "rewarded" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 5/17).
TOEING THE LINE: ESPN N.Y.'s Ian Begley reported Dolan and Thomas met with Liberty players Saturday to "address a jury's ruling" that MSG in '07 "improperly fired a female executive who accused Thomas of sexual harassment." Liberty F Swin Cash said, "They were very open and honest. That's what I appreciated ... to really address all the issues and not just be politically correct." Cash added that she "appreciated that Dolan and Thomas would address the sexual harassment case with the team and provide players a chance to ask questions about the situation." Liberty G Essence Carson said, "I trust the company wholeheartedly and entirely that they made the right decision. Again, my time here has been nothing but the utmost professional and I expect moving forward for it to remain the same and nothing to change, nothing to alter that." Cash added, "I feel confident from the conversations that I've had that our working environment will be efficient for everybody that everything is going to be on the up and up" (ESPNNY.com, 5/17).
