"Spineless": Current & Former Suns Employees Outraged At NBA's Sarver Discipline

The discipline came down yesterday for Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver, but the furious reaction is still dropping 24 hours later, as victims and observers alike are outraged, saying that the one-year suspension was nowhere near enough.

Baxter Holmes joins NBA Today with reporting on Robert Sarver. One current employee told @Baxter today: “I cannot express to you how mad and disappointed people are at the spineless nature of the NBA’s decision.” pic.twitter.com/dRDxl9Egqv
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) September 13, 2022

Baxter Holmes is the ESPN reporter who originally broke the story. He spoke to one former female staffer who described this as a "barely a slap on the wrist," and another current staffer who said, "I cannot express to you how mad and disappointed people are of the spineless nature of the NBA's decision."

Other noted followers of the NBA seem to hold the same feelings of frustration.

No place in the NBA for how Robert Sarver was shown to have treated women and Black employees within this report from the independent investigation. Should have been forced to sell the team. A one-year ban and fine isn’t enough. Being an NBA owner is a privilege, not a right.
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) September 13, 2022

As tough as it was to do, Robert Sarver's racism, misogyny and more is as worse as Donald Sterling's and very well may surpass it. How does the Suns owner get a pass to return to his throne after a year suspension and not pushed out the NBA like Sterling? Confused by this result.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) September 13, 2022

Sarver still being around seems like a failure of reading comprehension. If there were a tape of Sarver saying basically any of the 20 worst things attributed to him it'd be over
— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) September 13, 2022

Much of the outrage is justified not only because of the nature of Sarver's transgressions, but because of the precedent already set by the NBA. Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was handed a lifetime ban in 2014 and forced to sell the team after his similar acts of racism and misogyny.