70 former and current Suns employees throughout Sarver’s 17-year tenure were interviewed. They describe a toxic and sometimes hostile workplace under Sarver.
PHOENIX — Editor’s note: The above video aired during a previous broadcast.
ESPN has finally released an exclusive report filled with allegations of racism and misogyny from Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver.
The lengthy article contains numerous examples of alleged incidents involving a toxic and sometimes hostile workplace. According to the article, ESPN spoke to more than 70 current and former Suns employees during Sarver’s 17-year tenure as owner.
In the report written by ESPN staff writer Baxter Holmes, several anecdotes from multiple sources detail various encounters and instances of racist and misogynistic behavior from Sarver.
Here are a few of the instances included in the report:
- Former Phoenix Suns head coach Earl Watson alleges Sarver used the N-word multiple times after a game against the Golden State Warriors in 2016.
- Some employees said they encountered conduct they felt was inappropriate. One such instance included Sarver allegedly passing around a picture of his wife in a bikini to employees and talking about sex acts she performed.
- During a recruiting pitch, sources said Sarver made a comment they felt was racially insensitive. They didn’t go into specifics but said they felt Sarver “too loosely used the term “Black guy” during the conversation.”
To read the full report, visit the article on the ESPN website.
Sarver previously pushed back against the report from ESPN.
RELATED: Suns owner Robert Sarver disputes claims of sexism, racism
“While I can’t begin to know how to respond to some of the vague suggestions made by mostly anonymous voices, I can certainly tell you that some of the claims I find completely repugnant to my nature and to the character of the Suns/Mercury workplace and I can tell you they never, ever happened,” Sarver said in a released statement.
12 Sports on YouTube
Watch more of the latest sports videos on the 12 News YouTube channel. Don’t forget to subscribe!