Baylor Details Reasons For Racism Lawsuit Against Clippers, NBA
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Baylor Feels NBA Has Been "Deaf,
Blind And Mute" To Racial Issues |
Former Clippers VP/Basketball Operations Elgin Baylor "painted himself Thursday as a victim, a humble man who suffered in silence for two decades under the thumb of a bigoted deceitful boss" -- Clippers Owner Donald Sterling -- and NBA execs who "tolerated racial discrimination," according to Rich Hammond of the L.A. DAILY NEWS. Baylor, who has filed a civil lawsuit alleging Sterling and the team engaged in racist behavior, held a press conference Thursday and discussed a "wide-ranging series of sharp accusations" against the club. He also "denounced the NBA for ignoring [his] plight and being 'deaf, blind and mute' to racial issues." Baylor: "I want to make one thing clear: I did not retire. I had so much more to give. The way I was treated by the NBA and the Clippers was unfair and, in many ways, discriminatory. It was wrong. We are forced to take this action because our efforts to resolve this dispute quietly were essentially ignored." Baylor added working for the Clippers "was like working with one hand tied behind my back." Baylor: "But given the shortage of blacks in the executive roles within the NBA, I felt obligated to hang in there and endure whatever came my way." Clippers General Counsel Robert Platt in a statement Thursday said that the lawsuit "lacked credibility and was 'driven by publicity-seeking attorneys hoping to draw attention to themselves.'" The NBA does not comment on pending legal actions (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 2/13). Baylor attorney Carl Douglas said that the league "was not involved in any of the negotiations between Baylor and the Clippers before the lawsuit was filed." Douglas added that the NBA "has been aware of the allegations since September and has not responded" (L.A. TIMES, 2/13).
HARD TO FEEL SYMPATHY: In L.A., Bill Plaschke writes "only the Clippers ... could be involved in a fight in which a fair outcome is unattainable, and a rooting interest is impossible." Plaschke notes the U.S. Justice Department in '06 "filed a still-pending discrimination suit against Sterling for allegedly using race as a factor in filling some of his many apartment buildings." Plaschke: "How do you back an owner who is fighting two lawsuits accusing him of racism? But how do you support an employee who clearly tolerated the climate in which the racism allegations occurred?" If Baylor "knew about this behavior, why did he keep working for the guy?" (L.A. TIMES, 2/13).
BAYLOR'S RECORD WAS JUST CAUSE: In Philadelphia, John Smallwood writes if Baylor "wants to file a civil grievance against the Clippers, owner Donald Sterling and the NBA, that's certainly his prerogative, but please don't use things as serious as racial and age discrimination for the basis of the lawsuit." In Baylor's 22 years with the Clippers, the team "made the playoffs only four times and became comical mainstays at the NBA draft lottery." The club also had just two winning seasons and "won fewer than 35 games 13 times." Smallwood: "If ever a team executive were released on merit, it was Baylor" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 2/13).
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