Hawks co
Atlanta Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon wanted Hawks controlling owner Bruce Levenson to either ask for general manager Danny Ferry's resignation or fire him after Ferry made racially insensitive comments about Luol Deng on a free agency conference call in June.
Gearon sent the letter to Levenson on June 12, and the letter was obtained by Atlanta TV station WSB and posted on its website Monday. Two people familiar with letter confirmed its authenticity to USA TODAY Sports. They requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the situation.
In the letter, Gearon wrote that Ferry's comments were worse than ex-Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling's racially charged comments.
'They were not from a private conversation - they were in a business environment on a business matter in front of a dozen or more people,' Gearon wrote. 'If Ferry would make such a slur in a semi-public forum, we can only imagine what he has said in smaller groups or to individuals.'
Earlier on Monday, USA TODAY Sports, and other news outlets, reported that Ferry read from a profile report compiled from input by internal and external sources and said Deng 'is still a young guy overall. He is a good guy overall. But he is not perfect. He's got some African in him. And I don't say that in a bad way,' according to one person.
But according to Gearon's letter, Ferry also added, 'But he's like a guy who would have a nice store out front but sell your counterfeit stuff out of the back.'
Gearon wrote, 'Ferry completed the racial slur by describing the player (and implicitly all persons of African descent) as a two-faced liar and cheat.'
The person who supplied the Hawks with those details on Deng does not work for the Hawks, according to one person.
The conference call was recorded, according to Gearon's letter.
'We were appalled that anyone would make such a racist slur, much less the GM of an NBA franchise on a major conference call,' Gearon wrote. 'One of us can be heard on the tape reacting with astonishment.'
Deng, who from Sudan, is considered one of the hardest workers in the NBA and one of the league's good guys. In April, he was given the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. He is a two-time All-Star and spent the first nine-plus years of his career with the Chicago Bulls. He was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers last season and signed with the Miami Heat this summer.
Ferry apologized to Deng's agent, Ron Shade, according to Yahoo Sports. Ferry, 47, and Deng, 29, both went to Duke and played for coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Ferry's comments triggered the internal investigation which unearthed Levenson's 2012 e-mail in which me made multiple racially insensitive comments about Hawks fans.
Levenson said Sunday he will sell his controlling interest in the Hawks and apologized, and in a statement Levenson said, 'If you're angry about what I wrote, you should be. I'm angry at myself, too. It was inflammatory nonsense. We all may have subtle biases and preconceptions when it comes to race, but my role as a leader is to challenge them, not to validate or accommodate those who might hold them.
'I have said repeatedly that the NBA should have zero tolerance for racism, and I strongly believe that to be true. That is why I voluntarily reported my inappropriate e-mail to the NBA.'
According to Gearon, Hawks partner and alternate governor Ed Peskowitz was on the conference call and indicated Levenson was also on the call but noted, 'we are not sure whether you were listening the whole time.'
The Hawks had planned on issuing Ferry an undisclosed punishment, but the new details put Ferry's job in serious jeopardy. Gearon wrote that two attorneys were contacted and one employment attorney told Gearon that fallout could be devastating.
'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,' Gearon wrote.
Gearon concluded, '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.'
VIDEO: Racism at heart of Levenson e-mail
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