When NBA Commissioner announced the epic smack down of Donald Sterling via lifetime ban and a $2.5 million fine, nobody in their right mind thought Sterling would go down without a fight. Sterling made much of his wealth as an attorney (a very good one) so it was a pretty safe bet that he’d put on his Matlock hat and try to litigate his way out of a sticky situation. Though Sterling was never arrested and his freedom is not in jeopardy due to his prejudice comments, if he hadn’t angered all of his players maybe one of them would’ve shared a simple piece of advice: shut up.
Now that’s not a legalistic term. I’m not a lawyer by any means. I’ve never passed (nor taken) the bar. My greatest legal accomplishment to date is getting out of a speeding ticket using a $0.99 piece of poster board, a Sharpie and some photos in traffic court. I’m not a career criminal. Still, I understand the basic premise of “shut up” when you’re facing a legal or disciplinary issue. Why Sterling’s counsel didn’t give him that quick advice is anybody’s guess. It’s unlikely they truly realized the depth of their client’s prejudices before sending him to talk basketball sins with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. Now Sterling has turned a layup Adam Silver and the NBA owners into a slam dunk.
Sterling’s interview with Cooper started off well enough, with the billionaire apologizing and taking responsibility for his actions.
“I’m a good member who made a mistake and I’m apologizing and I’m asking for forgiveness,” he said. “Am I entitled to one mistake, am I after 35 years? I mean, I love my league, I love my partners. Am I entitled to one mistake? It’s a terrible mistake, and I’ll never do it again.”
Nice start. The “apologize and beg for mercy” strategy isn’t always successful in these types of situations. Let’s assume the worst though. If Sterling is going to lose the team anyway, the more goodwill he shows, the less damage to the Clippers organization in general, which turns into more money for Sterling when he sells. Cooperate with the league, offer to go to sensitivity training and maybe the league will downgrade your lifetime ban to a year. I’m sure St. Louis Rams’ Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams would’ve been happy to walk the NAACP certified lifetime achiever owner through the process.
Next Cooper brought up Magic Johnson, a man beloved and respected by all, especially throughout the NBA. Johnson is also the man who inadvertently caused Sterling’s wall to come tumbling down when he posed for the now infamous photo with V. Stiviano.
When asked whether he’d apologized directly to Johnson for his racist comments, Sterling did…well….what Sterling does. He criticized a black man.
“Well what kind of guy goes to every city and sleeps with every girl and gets AIDS?” Sterling asked. Is that someone we want to respect and tell our kids about? I think he should be ashamed of himself. I think he should go into the background. But what does he do for the black community? Doesn’t do anything!”
He also accused Cooper of having a “plantation mentality.” Yes, even though he’s on trial in the court of public opinion and, more importantly, fighting for his franchise, Sterling couldn’t bear to say something nice about a black man. It was too much to ask. Insulting the beloved gay news anchor was just the cherry on top. Now even Mark Cuban, the man who loves to go against the grain in the NBA is backing away from Sterling and calling for him to go.
If complimenting a black man is too hard for Sterling, there are plenty of other strategies I’d expect an accomplished lawyer to know about. Most of them rely around the original premise of shut the heck up.
- Issue a statement through a family spokesperson, then shut up.
- Refuse to comment at all under the counsel of your attorneys, then shut up.
- Claim you were intoxicated, apologize, check into the nearest Hollywood rehab center, then shut up.
I’m almost certain that Sterling’s attorneys must have given him similar advice before he went hanging with Mr. Cooper, but the non-racist owner couldn’t control himself. Now black men everywhere will cheer when his franchise is snatched away from him quicker than the bogus NAACP Award.
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