In result of the Ray Rice incident has caused him to be released from the Baltomore Ravens.
via Bossip
It’s a shame that it took this video to convince the Ravens and the league to take this measure. Via NFL The Baltimore Ravens announced the release of Ray Rice on Monday. Shortly after, an NFL spokesperson announced that the running back has been suspended indefinitely. A video emerged on TMZ of Rice punching his now-wife in an elevator. Rice was previously suspended two games on July 24 for violating the league’s personal conduct policy for the same incident. The Ravens supported Rice as an organization in the immediate aftermath of the incident back in March, but the release of this video changed their stance. The NFL said Monday that they had not seen the video during their investigation.“We requested from law enforcement any and all information about the incident, including the video from inside the elevator. That video was not made available to us and no one in our office has seen it until today,” the league said in a statement released to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport.Since Rice’s suspension, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced sweeping changes to the personal conduct policy concerning domestic violence cases. Violations regarding assault, battery, domestic violence or sexual assault that involve physical force “will be subject to a suspension without pay of six games for a first offense.” A second offense will result in banishment from the NFL for at least one year. Goodell expressed regret about the league’s handling of Rice’s suspension in a letter to NFL owners on Aug. 28.“My disciplinary decision led the public to question our sincerity, our commitment, and whether we understood the toll that domestic violence inflicts on so many families,” Goodell wrote. “I take responsibility both for the decision and for ensuring that our actions in the future properly reflect our values. I didn’t get it right. Simply put, we have to do better. And we will.”We know that NFL is the land of second chances, but we’d be SHOCKED if another NFL team were to ever sign him to a contract. Good riddance f***boy. Image via Baltimore Sun
Atlanta Hawks owner Bruce Levenson will sell team following racist email
via Sporting News
Atlanta Hawks controlling owner Bruce Levenson will sell his stake in the team following a racially insensitive email that he sent two years ago, he announced Sunday.
Levenson said in a letter to the league that he self-reported the email to the NBA and commissioner Adam Silver and will seek to sell the team immediately. The email, sent in 2012, was in regard to ticket sales and reaching out to “a more diverse fan base that includes more suburban whites,” Levenson wrote.
MORE: Shelly Sterling offers details on husband, Clippers sale | Scout: Exum ‘not ready for NBA’
“I trivialized our fans by making clichéd assumptions about their interests (i.e. hip hop vs. country, white vs. black cheerleaders, etc.) and by stereotyping their perceptions of one another (i.e. that white fans might be afraid of our black fans),” Levenson explained in the letter. “By focusing on race, I also sent the unintentional and hurtful message that our white fans are more valuable than our black fans.
“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. After much long and difficult contemplation, I have decided that it is in the best interests of the team, the Atlanta community, and the NBA to sell my controlling interest in the Hawks franchise.”
Levenson on Saturday night notified Silver of his intentions to sell.
“I commend Mr. Levenson for self-reporting to the league office, for being fully cooperative with the league and its independent investigator, and for putting the best interests of the Hawks, the Atlanta community, and the NBA first,” Silver said in a statement.
Levenson has been part of the Hawks’ ownership group since 2005. Earlier this year, he spoke in favor of ousting Donald Sterling from the NBA when the former Los Angeles Clippers owner went on a racist rant.
Via USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt, here is the email Levenson sent, reportedly to Danny Ferry and Hawks ownership partners Ed Peskowitz and Todd Foreman:
And here is Levenson’s letter in full, via NBA.com:
“Over the past several years, I’ve spent a lot of time grappling with low attendance at our games and the need for the Hawks to attract more season ticket holders and corporate sponsors. Over that time, I’ve talked with team executives about the need for the Hawks to build a more diverse fan base that includes more suburban whites, and I shared my thoughts on why our efforts to bridge Atlanta’s racial sports divide seemed to be failing.
In trying to address those issues, I wrote an e-mail two years ago that was inappropriate and offensive. I trivialized our fans by making clichéd assumptions about their interests (i.e. hip hop vs. country, white vs. black cheerleaders, etc.) and by stereotyping their perceptions of one another (i.e. that white fans might be afraid of our black fans). By focusing on race, I also sent the unintentional and hurtful message that our white fans are more valuable than our black fans.
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.
After much long and difficult contemplation, I have decided that it is in the best interests of the team, the Atlanta community, and the NBA to sell my controlling interest in the Hawks franchise.
Hawks CEO Steve Koonin will oversee all team operations and take all organizational reports as we proceed with the sale process.
I’m truly embarrassed by my words in that e-mail, and I apologize to the members of the Hawks family and all of our fans.
To the Hawks family and its fans, you have my deepest gratitude for the past ten years. Working with this team and its extraordinary executives, coaching staff, and players has been one of the highlights of my life. I am proud of our diverse, passionate, and growing legion of Hawks fans, and I will continue to join you in cheering for the best team in the NBA.”
