NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that the league is monitoring how the Mavericks are "responding to allegations of improper workplace conduct that were not included in the investigative report released two weeks ago," according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. The Dallas Morning News on Friday cited four anonymous former female employees as indicating that longtime team photographer Danny Bollinger has a "history of making lewd comments and propositioning women at work." Silver ahead of the Mavericks-76ers preseason game in Shanghai said, "My concern level is always extraordinarily high when you're hearing stories about any inappropriate conduct in the workplace, whether it's those allegations at the Mavericks or anywhere at our teams." He said part of the "new process" the league put in place with the Mavs was an "ongoing reporting obligation to the league office." Silver said Mavs CEO Cynthia Marshall has been in "constant contact" with NBA President of Social Responsibility & Player Programs Kathy Behrens (ESPN.com, 10/5).
ORIGINAL REPORT: In Dallas, Brandon George cites sources as saying that Bollinger on Thursday was "told he was being sent home" early from the Mavs' nine-day trip to China as the allegations were coming out. Neither Bollinger "nor descriptions of his alleged behavior were included" in the NBA's report on the seven-month investigation into sexual harassment within the team's business offices." Bollinger has worked in the Mavs' marketing department for "more than 18 years." He was "hired six months after" team Owner Mark Cuban bought the Mavs in January '00, and their relationship "predates Cuban's purchase of the team." Cuban responded to questions raised about why Bollinger remained employed after the investigation by saying, "To suggest that the Mavs hid anything or didn't take an action for any reason, any whatsoever, is to claim that you believe that [Marshall] and the professionals she brought in are not capable of doing their jobs." Marshall said that the Mavs are "conducting their 'own internal investigations'" but did "not reference Bollinger" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 10/5).
