I was pleased this afternoon when a New York jury found Isiah Thomas, former NBA all-star and current coach of the New York Knicks, guilty of making unwanted sexual advances and verbally assaulting Knicks team executive Anucha Browne Sanders.
And, in a truly devastating rebuke, the jury awarded Sanders $11.6 million in damages instead of the $10 million she sought.
I was a little disappointed, however, that the jury absolved Thomas of any personal responsibility to pay for his crude and guilty behavior by holding Madison Square Garden (MSG), his employer, solely liable for the damages – presumably for tolerating, if not fostering, a hostile work environment and retaliating against Sanders after she filed her complaint.
But frankly, I don’t know anyone who thought Thomas and MSG were going to win this case – especially after Thomas took the stand and his videotaped deposition was played in open court. Because, when asked the critical question, namely, if he was bothered by a black man calling a black female a “bitch”, here’s the legally-damning (and racially-chauvinistic) answer he gave:
Not as much. I’m sorry to say, I do make a distinction….A white male calling a black female a bitch is highly offensive….That would have violated my code of conduct….Maybe I shouldn’t go there… . [But he did anyway]
A white male calling a black female, that is wrong with me. I’m not taking that. I’m not accepting that….That’s a problem for me.
What an uncanny coincidence, however, that the verdict in this case was handed down less than 48 hours after Justice Clarence Thomas appeared on TV for the first time to rehash the events surrounding his precedent-setting sexual harassment case! (Recall that it stemmed from charges Anita Hill filed against him on the eve of his confirmation to the Supreme Court in 1991.)
But I resent the fact that, once again, the professional relationship between two successful black Americans became grist for the tabloid mill, and only affirmed the racial and sexual stereotypes far too many white people have of black folks….
Related Articles:
Clarence Thomas speaks….
*Published originally yesterday, Tuesday at 6:08 PM
Isiah Thomas sexual harassment, Anucha Browne Sanders, Madison Square Garden
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.