Posted on 05/11/2014 6:23:30 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling says he's sorry but feels he was "baited" to make racists comments, nearly two weeks after the NBA fined him and banned him for life for his remarks in a recorded conversation.
"When I listen to that tape, I don't even know how I can say words like that. ... I don't know why the girl had me say those things," he told CNN's Anderson Cooper in an exclusive interview set to air on Monday.
"You're saying you were set up?" Cooper asked. "Well yes, I was baited," Sterling said. "I mean, that's not the way I talk. I don't talk about people for one thing, ever. I talk about ideas and other things. I don't talk about people."
Sterling, an 80-year-old married lawyer and billionaire real-estate investor, hasn't spoken publicly about the accusations since celebrity gossip website TMZ posted a 10-minute audio recording of him that drew widespread condemnation from fans, players and the league.
In that audio clip, Sterling chastised friend V. Stiviano for posting pictures online of her posing with African-Americans, including basketball Hall of Famer Earvin "Magic" Johnson.
The recording triggered a firestorm that led to Sterling's lifetime ban from the NBA and a $2.5 million fine. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has asked the other 29 owners to force Sterling, the longest-tenured owner in the league, to sell the Clippers.
"I'm not a racist," Sterling told Cooper. "I made a terrible, terrible mistake. And I'm here with you today to apologize and to ask for forgiveness for all the people that I've hurt."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
You have to consider Silver and the extreme viciousness of his reaction. Sterling would be better served to STFU and go full blown legal on the NBA. As you noted, Silver took the NBA down a path of extreme legal jeopardy. If I was an owner, I would be considering terminating Silver by not renewing his contract once it expired.
No one forced him to off-load a racist rant to his girlfriend. Sterling is a slug who won’t even take responsibility for his own words.
Pathetic doesn’t begin to describe him. Cry me a river over his self-inflicted plight.
Not if you’re in a franchise system it isn’t. The keepers of the by-laws can make you sell and if it’s at a loss too bad for you. Heck they don’t even have to let you sell, the NBA could just end his franchise no opportunity to make any money on it.
But we’re talking about Donald Sterling here. Expecting him to keep his mouth shut and stop saying stupid things is like expecting him to stop breathing, which admittedly is going to happen someday in the not too distant future. When it does he’ll stop saying stupid things too, but not before.
This is akin to the NSA releasing one of your personal conversations to your boss.
Would you object to that?
I am inclined to agree with you.
Silver acted like “tough guy” to get the playoffs over. He knows his threats are shaky at best. So does Sterling.
I think they are laying the ground work for both sides to get out of this mess. The Clippers may not ever be able to get a coach or high dollar players...but they’ve only been in contention the last few years (since Chis Paul came grudgingly on board) anyway.
Worst case scenario...the wife files for divorce and puts the hiatus on any sale of the team...indefinitely.
OK - I’ll come take your house and give you market value for it. Don’t worry - it’s not stealing.
Sterling was set up.
But he certainly is not blameless in all this.
I believe he is a prejudiced asshole. I would not enjoy his company, I wish he would just go away. I’m sick of hearing about him.
RE: The keepers of the by-laws can make you sell and if it’s at a loss too bad for you.
That would be equivalent to CONFISCATION of property and is against the law. Sterling will be well within his rights if he were to sue.
There is no law against making racial statements in the privacy of your home. There are laws against property confiscation.
RE; OK - I’ll come take your house and give you market value for it. Don’t worry - it’s not stealing.
And by what racial excuse are you going to do it?
No fool like an old fool.
There’s personal responsibility, good taste and judgment of which he had a deficit. Assume someone is always listening and use your words with care.
As a celebrity, he had to know nothing is ever truly private. The damage is done and for an 80 year old to whine like a kid is unbecoming. Sterling needs to man up! No one is responsible for his mess but him.
re: OK - I’ll come take your house and give you market value for it. Don’t worry - it’s not stealing.
OK, I’ll sell it to you AT MARKET VALUE *IF* everyone of my neighbors hate me and don’t want to live next to me and can’t stand the sight of me.
AND NO, that won’t be stealing.
It isn’t against the law, because it’s part of the by-laws he signed onto. When you’re in a franchise system you don’t own as much as you think. What you really do is lease a highly revokable license to be a part of a whole. Franchise holders get forced to sell and just plain lose their franchise all the time. We don’t see it often in sports, but it happens. The sale of the Dodgers was basically forced my the league, of course no matter what McCourt does he always manages to come out ahead.
There’s isn’t a law against racial statements. But the IS a BY-LAW against embarrassing the league. Which he did, which is why he WILL sell the team.
Further, forced sales are not taxable.
In legal terms, it's fruit of the poison tree.
Using it to force him to sell his private property is not going to find sympathy in a court of law.
Matter of fact, he will be in a legal position to sue for damages.
The rule of law doesn't really care how people "feel" about things.
Yes, an idiot 20 something year old who's major claim to fame is her body outsmarted a multimillionaire .... and 'made' him say things against his will...
I will sell the team if I were him.
But Sterling bought the Clippers when it was a struggling team for a mere $12 Million.
Now that it is a contender for the championship, it will be worth 30 to 40 times that much.
By all means, force him to off load his franchise, but I don’t think it is LEGAL to force him to off load it at a loss.
He will be well within his rights to sue if they do it.
Too far down what road?
?????
If he knew he was on tape then he got what he deserved, if he didn’t know and is protecting someone, then its the same.
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