NBA Planning Confidential Hotline to Report Workplace Issues
NBA commissioner Adam Silver sent a memo to teams Thursday night announcing the league is set to create a confidential hotline for employees to report potential workplace problems, including sexual harassment.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN passed along details of the plan.
The news comes two days after Jon Wertheim and Jessica Luther of Sports Illustrated provided information from an investigation into the Dallas Mavericks' hostile work environment, including allegations against former team president Terdema Ussery and website writer Earl K. Sneed.
Mavs owner Mark Cuban told SI the organization didn't have "any tolerance" for the reported behavior, which the investigation revealed ranged from sexual harassment to domestic violence.
"It's wrong. It's abhorrent. It's not a situation we condone," he said. "I can't tell you how many times, particularly since all this [#MeToo] stuff has been coming out recently I asked our HR director, 'Do we have a problem? Do we have any issues I have to be aware of?' And the answer was no."
While the NBA announced it fined Cuban $600,000 for public comments about tanking earlier this week, it's yet to levy any punishment based on the allegations. The league said in a statement it would "closely monitor" the team's investigation into the matter.
Wojnarowski noted Thursday's memo from Silver said the league is committed to a "safe and inclusive work environment." The hotline is expected to open next week.
