During a now-infamous June conference call between the Atlanta Hawks front-office and its ownership group, general manager Danny Ferry repeated some racially-disparaging comments about forward Luol Deng (who was a free agent the Hawks were pursuing at the time.)
Minority team owner J. Michael Gearon, Jr. wrote a two-page letter to majority owner Bruce Levenson calling for the resignation or firing of Ferry. Levenson ignored Gearon’s pleas, and the scandal eventually forced him to sell his share of the franchise.
The Hawks say they’ll discipline Ferry – who issued a public apology Tuesday morning – though the NBA won’t take further action. Here’s part of Gearon’s letter, via WSB-TV in Atlanta:
As you know, last Friday there was a conference call attended by numerous persons including Hawks management and ownership. We believe that you and Ed Peskowitz were on the call, but we are not sure whether you were listening the whole time. During the call, which was recorded so that notes could be made for our partners unable to participate live, our GM Danny Ferry discussed player personnel issues at some length. With respect to one potential free agent, a highly-regarded African-American player and humanitarian, Ferry talked about the player’s good points, and then went on to describe his negatives, stating that “he has a little African in him. Not in a bad way, but he’s like a guy who would have a nice store out front but sell you counterfeit stuff out of the back.” Ferry completed the racial slur by describing the player (and impliedly, all persons of African descent) as a two-faced liar and cheat.
We are appalled that anyone would make such a racist slur under any circumstance, much less the GM of an NBA franchise on a major conference call. One of us can be heard on the tape reacting with astonishment. Our franchise has had a long history of racial diversity and inclusion that reflect the makeup of our great city. Ferry’s comments were so far out of bounds that we are concerned that he has put the entire franchise in jeopardy.
If Ferry’s comments are ever made public, and it’s a safe bet to say they will someday, it could be fatal to the franchise. All of our partners have worked and spent a lot of money not just to make the Hawks winners, but to make our city and region proud of the organization. As lifelong Atlantans with a public track record of diversity and inclusion, we are especially fearful of the unfair consequences when we eventually get thrown under the bus with Ferry. […] We are calling on you, as majority owner and NBA Governor, to take swift and severe action against Ferry. Our advisors tell us there is no other choice but to ask for Ferry’s resignation, and if he refuses, to terminate him for cause under his employment agreement.
LOL. How many racist does it take for the players to take a stand?
oops
*Patiently waits for people who yesterday likened this to a GM saying a player is “too Euro” to enter the room*
This just in: Michael Gearson Jr is to be fired because he called Kevin Garnett the “dirtiest guy in the league” a couple of years ago. Clearly this means that Gearson Jr believes blacks to be dirty in terms of poor hygiene, as well as with a bag full of cheap tricks at their disposal.
The day we start firing someone for reading a piece of paper is the day political correctness crosses over into ridiculousness.
Gearson Jr and Ferry are going to have a great working relationship moving forward though, I’m sure.
Well, Ferry has some Dookie in him. Those Dookies are all a bunch of rabbit-faced liars. Can’t trust ’em.
Some people who were defending Ferry yesterday on the other thread are looking awfully stupid right now. Let’s see how they try to explain this away…………….
If the Hawks don’t fire Ferry they’ll be boycotted by many free agents wrecking an already fragile franchise. I’m a huge Hawks fan, have been since they drafted Wilkins, the past few days have tested that loyalty completely.
Just you wait…
They will be here shortly. Tapdancing on cue.
“What about black on black crime?!?!?!?!?!?!”
I didnt think he could really be fired, they can always change the meaning of what he said because no one truly knows what he meant. He was not obvious in his statement. As of people defending him. I think people were defending that fact that we shouldn’t jump to conclusions right away.
Could still mean that, there is no proof otherwise. Only difference is that there is more sensitivity on side compared to the other.
I had no major qualms with the scouting report in how it was reported yesterday, ending with, “…and I don’t mean that in a bad way.” However, with this new information, Danny Ferry should have known better. That analogy can’t even be spun to reference anything basketball related.
How hard would it have been to write
“Top 10 SF in the league. Has injuries and exiting his prime. Multifaceted game: defends, scores, passes, rebounds etc. Inexpensive hardworker who is sneaky good.”
That “African” in him had to be mentioned!
“If the Hawks don’t fire Ferry they’ll be boycotted by many free agents wrecking an already fragile franchise. ”
This.
Calling someone a dirty player implies the way they play the game. Saying “he has a little African in him. Not in a bad way, but he’s like a guy who would have a nice store out front but sell you counterfeit stuff out of the back.” has no sort of basketball reference in it at all.
“but he’s like a guy who would have a nice store out front but sell you counterfeit stuff out of the back.”
Did you not read this? This is what came out of Ferrys mouth. How can this be spun to refer to his on court game in any way?
I agree that political correctness is over the top sometimes but you gotta say it was really weird what Ferry said. Like a random, unnecessary analogy to a sketchy shop owner in the middle of a scouting report.
Seems like the nice storefront, selling counterfeit goods out the back analogy does apply (what that has to do with being African, I have no idea).
Deng is deceptively average (as opposed to sneaky good).
Good true shooting percentage but doesn’t create his own shot. Sound defender. Average PER. Below average win shares per 48 minutes.
Strange Deng was referenced as an African-American. Thought he was/is a British citizen from Sudan.
Counterfeit goods are illegally sold on the left low block all the time.
…typically by people with a little “African” in them.
Deng is a deceptively average player. At first glance, he looks like a potential key player for your team and then you realize he doesn’t create his own shot (although he does do well spotting up).
That doesn’t excuse the senseless reference to being African.
It cannot.
…but, do not worry, these nitwits will continue to try.
I know I get all my weed that way too. The high post is even more dodgy.
You’re clutching at straws here. Those are in no way the same.
Calling someone dirty is attacking a person’s character, and in this case it’s over the actions and words that Kevin Garnett have used (and nothing to do with his skin color). Saying someone has “a little African in him” and then saying “Not in a bad way, but he’s like a guy who would have a nice store out front but sell you counterfeit stuff out the back” is attacking the character of a whole race of people. You have to be mad to think they’re the same thing.
I don’t think it’s “attacking the character of a whole race of people”. Is saying that Pau’s “soft” playing style is “European” saying that all Europeans are soft? I think it was a bad analogy trying to describe Luol Deng’s basketball performance in some way, not a biting criticism of Africans as a whole.
I was being facetious. I think it was a bad analogy of how Ferry views Deng’s basketball abilities, not meant to say “black people are two-faced and liars” as Gearson’s letter conjectures.
I agree that it may have been unnecessary in that it’s terrible word choice, but does that mean that Ferry is a bigot? Especially if he was reading a scouting report.
I think this is more of a situation where Grearson is trying to make career forwarding moves. Levenson quit under weird circumstances that were related to this case, something that Grearson has brought attention to and is championing. With Levenson quitting, Grearson is now listed as the majority owner of the Hawks. Think on that.
“but he’s like a guy who would have a nice store out front but sell you counterfeit stuff out of the back.”
Depends… How exactly are you reading into that statement? We know how the author is… (and impliedly, all persons of African descent) as a two-faced liar and cheat.
I could take that is he is not as good as advertised. All depends on view I guess.
Someone gets it at least. Its not a racial hit, but poor choice of words in a public forum.
In reference to your last comment, African-American rolls off the tongue better than African-British or British-African.
All-in-all, the Atlanta Hawks aren’t a relevant franchise sitting on prime real estate, which is why the NBA and mass media haven’t been running with this story. The “victim” isn’t well known and there isn’t some mistress involved. The story as is, just isn’t juicy enough to force the NBA into caring. Bruce Levenson doesn’t have to sell his team, because these egregious lapses in judgement can be written off. Uncalled for scouting report and racial sensitivity oblivious marketing research.
My problem is, why not just say that? Why play into stereotypes to make a fairly simple point? Why not just say “he’s not as good as the number suggest”
I could say “Carlos Arroyo has some Puerto Rican in him and I don’t mean that in a bad way. But if you’re not careful around him you’re wallet might end up missing.”
If all I meant was, “he’s good at stealing the ball from dribblers” does that make it ok?
Why not just say that? Why go out of your way to make an ignorant generalization about a large group of people? It wasn’t even just a couple of words, it was a whole colorful statement made for no reason at all.
Gearson heard the call tho. He heard the tone in which it was read. He was obviously offended and/or concerned by what was said. So why would we not take the word of a man that actually was present? It’d be one thing if he waited until the comments were public to voice his displeasure, but he didn’t. In my eyes, his action imply that this was more than just a bad basketball analogy.
“I think it was a bad analogy trying to describe Luol Deng’s basketball performance in some way…”
In what way? What common negative basketball attribute is attributed to Africans or the general African region in general?
You’re right about the generalization being ignorant (Ferry was far from subtle or sophisticated) and unnecessary (although it may have provided context to his audience. Who knows if the Hawks ownership group understands advanced stats or basketball fundamentals.).
Seems like Ferry chose a politically wrong (albeit basketball effective, since the Hawks never acquired Deng) analogy he expected his audience to understand.
A bad reason for the statement, but a reason nonetheless.
(The following is mostly a joke.)
Anyone insinuating Carlos Arroyo is good at stealing the ball from dribblers needs to be fired for basketball reasons before being fired for “conduct inconsistent with NBA principles”.
It could be some weird scouting lingo used to describe just what you said – he’s not as good as his stats seem to indicate. No telling what some scouts say behind the scenes regarding player character. I’ll bet some of it is pretty cringeworthy.
I’m saying Gearson has reasons for wanting Levenson out of office and this is directly tied to that situation. I need to hear the recording or need to hear the story corroborated by another person present that shares the same extreme feelings about the situation and Ferry that Gearson does.
Seven owners at least were present in that conference call. I’m assuming other staff and personnel were in the meeting as well. Why is Gearson the only one making it seem like Ferry is a member of the Klan? Seems like all the others are fine with reprimanding him for including the scout’s offensive statements, but Gearson tried to make it seem as if Ferry is a bigot.
We’ve been over this. The commonality of the words don’t make them any less or more racist.
Also, as we’ve spoken and agreed about already, neither of us can speak to what his meaning was or what his thought process was when he read the scouting report.
You just want to assume worst case interpretation. I assume best case because I don’t have sufficient evidence to assume otherwise. Innocent until proven guilty.
I did not ask you about Ferry, his (supposed) racism, or his (presumed) habit of reading scouting reports for the first time on conference calls with his superiors without any advance review.
Nor did I ask about this situation specifically. I asked…
“What common negative basketball attribute is attributed to Africans or the African region in general?”
The reason you will not answer is because their is no such attribute that anyone has ever heard of.
This “He was reading a scouting report and any reference to his negative African traits were basketball related” theory is absurd.
Disgusting. He needs to get gone.
I answered you:
“We’ve been over this. The commonality of the words don’t make them any less or more racist.”
Just because there is no common stereotype that’s related to basketball in the majority of hoop fans, doesn’t mean that Ferry wasn’t trying to allude to an African stereotype and apply it to basketball. The “European” comment isn’t seen as racist, and saying “that’s because it’s a common stereotype” doesn’t make sense. Again, the commonality of the words/phrases don’t affect whether it’s racist or not.
that has nothing to do with race. any player can be a dirty player, black or white. stereotyping about what is african and what isn’t is demeaning to all africans, even when Africa is the second biggest and most populous continent in the world.
“African” is not “black” just as “European” is not “white”.
“I answered you.”
No, you did not. So, I will ask again…
What “African” basketball trait could Ferry have been referring to?
By the way, Luol Deng is not buying the “I read the scouting report for the first time!” defense either.
Why do you suppose Ferry does not or did not simply explain the basketball significance of the “African” reference?
“Deng shoots contested 18 footers at an above average clip.
…like most Africans!” D. Ferry
Your coon tapdancing shoes must be getting worn down.
Deng – Gives you 48 minutes a game, works his ass off, plays through injuries to help you win, a warrior, a soldier, been through more things by the age of 10 that would make the toughest american experiences seem like paradise, doesnt complain, veteran in the lockeroom, professional through and through. Does great in the community, gave back exponentially to chicago and South Sudan to an extent that makes 99% of pro-athletes seem extremely selfish.
So yeah, I totally get why you would call his character into question let alone that of an entire continent :/
Is that how you think Danny Ferry was intending his comments?
Are you serious? Stop defending the man. You dont need the origin of the person in the same sentence with disparaging their character. If you wish to call Deng a liar, then leave where he is from out of it. It is racist. It is a way of thinking.
It is not a terrible word choice, it is a racist word choice. Yes he is a bigot.
If Europeans had faced years of slavery and oppression and you called a European player a liar and used the shop analogy with French people having a stereotype for counterfeiting, then equating European and African would be the same thing.
But it is not the case. The Europeans were the slavers and the Africans were those traded.
still, i dont believe that ferry got issues at all with black skin color. he seems to have issues with african culture and seems to be xenophobic tho. thats not any better, but its not really racism.
yup. ferry doesnt have issues with black skin. here he just served the us-american stereoptype of being biased towards other cultures / nations, extremely free of general education and pretty ignorant in general.
see what i did there?
a great share of owners, officials and even players need to be gone if xenophobia and an ignorant mindset are no gos
well let’s start
except he clearly does – he’s impugning black Africans – he wasn’t thinking about the diversity of folks in Africa – that could undercut your notion of the ignorance of Americans. See what I did there?
“he wasn’t thinking about the diversity of folks in Africa”
doesnt that cleary suit the definition of ignorance?
he can still have no issues with black us-americans while having issues with what he believes is the culture of black people of sub-sahara african origin.
i didnt try to say this was any better as what we label as racism. i just mean xenophobia suits better as a term than “racism”.
Yeah, nevermind..I’m an idiot. I’m not sure what my point was. I think I had one but I didn’t express it very well. Sorry.
Anyway, my larger point was I doubt that he knows that there are any white people in Africa so I don’t think xenophobia fits. He was speaking about Luol Deng as a black African, and not some white South African. He mentioned Africans, not Europeans.
What indication is there that he meant that Luol Deng has too much “black” in him? Why doesn’t Paul Millsap have too much black in him for Ferry? Al Horford? Jeff Teague? Demare Carroll? etc.
Go back and reread everything I’ve said and you’ll realize I responded to everything you said.
If not, I’ll just go ahead and agree with you; Danny Ferry is a Grand Wizard.
Coz that’s what he says….are you trying to not understand or does it come naturally? He says that Lu has a bit too much….
That isn’t what he says. The conjecture of his words meaning “black people being two-faced and liars on a whole” comes from Gearson’s interpretation of it in the leaked letter. It’s the narrative that the media and everyone else has latched on it.
To me it was an ignorant American applying whatever African cultural stereotypes to describe someone’s on court performance, not “wealthy white man hate black basketball player”.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s still offensive to Africans, but it’s not bigoted.
Lu Deng is from Africa and he’s the guy that Ferry was talking about. That’s why Gearson took the impression he did. Anything else is you just reading too much into it and trying to twist things.
Or it was Gearson doing that? There was no indication that Ferry has anything against black people, except Gearson’s letter saying that he does.
He didn’t call Luol Deng a liar, or imply blacks in general are. Gearson thinks he did.
So it’s racist because Luol Deng is black, but if the same thing happened towards a white player, it wouldn’t be?
Now you’re moving the goalposts. You were saying that the things Ferry said were ignorant, now you’re questioning whether he actually said them. I’m quite sure if Danny Ferry hadn’t said these things, he would have denied them in no uncertain terms by now. He hasn’t.
No I’m not. I’m attributing the quote to him, that Deng has a “little African in him” and the stuff about the bootleg store.
He never said “Luol Deng was two-faced and a liar” with the implication that all blacks are. Gearson conjectures that in his letter to Levenson.
chill. in essence we dislike the same thing, with slightly different definitions of the term we use to describe the issue.
OK – the way you said it wasn’t totally clear but I got what you mean now. Anyway, I don’t really disagree with you on the overgeneralization about all folks of African descent. I think Gearson is perhaps taking an overly broad interpretation of Ferry slandering all folks of African descent.
To me though, it’s immaterial that Ferry might not have slandered all folks of African descent. What Ferry said about Deng being sneaky or devious is racist.