NBA mandates Cuban to donate $10M to women's groups

The probe found evidence of "disturbing and heartbreaking" workplace
misconduct by current and former members of the Mavericks' organization, the
NBA revealed.

In a joint statement released Wednesday, the league detailed findings after an
investigation that lasted several months following the bombshell Sports
Illustrated report that revealed a series of harassment allegations against
former team president and CEO Terdema Ussery, two domestic violence incidents
involving former team reporter Earl K. Sneed and a series of misconduct
incidents by former ticket sales employee Chris Hyde.

Ex-New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram headed the inquiry that revealed
15 women within the Mavericks' organization were victims of harassment by
Ussery that included "inappropriate comments, touching, and forcible kissing."

Hyde was found by investigators to have engaged in several examples of
"improper workplace conduct" that included inappropriate sexual comments to
women, shared and viewed pornographic images and videos, unwanted sexual
advances and violent outbursts toward colleagues.

The investigation also alleged that the ex-Mavs.com writer Sneed perpetrated
two separate acts of domestic violence, with one coming against a team
employee.

The league said the independent investigation interviewed over 200 witnesses,
and none said they informed Cuban about the conduct of Ussery, a one-time
rising star in 18 years with the franchise who left the organization in 2015.
Cuban was not mentioned by any witnesses as having direct knowledge of any
improper behavior, matching his denials since the SI story went public in
February.

Nonetheless, the league concluded that no one within Mavs management helped
curtail any misbehavior by its employees, creating a culture where violations
continued to fester without adequate protection and consequences.

"The findings of the independent investigation are disturbing and
heartbreaking and no employee in the NBA, or any workplace for that matter,
should be subject to the type of working environment described in the report,"
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said, per the statement. "We appreciate that Mark
Cuban reacted swiftly, thoroughly and transparently to the allegations first
set forth in Sports Illustrated -- including the immediate hiring of Cynthia
Marshall as CEO to effect change, but as Mark has acknowledged, he is
ultimately responsible for the culture and conduct of his employees."

Per the announcement, the league also mandated that the team improve and
implement "Respect in the Workplace" for all staff members, including Cuban.
In addition, the Mavericks are required to submit quarterly reports to the NBA
office with updates and recommendations to its related human resources
policies.

In the weeks after the SI story was published, the Mavericks hired Cynthia
Marshall, former chief diversity officer and vice president of human resources
at AT&T, as the team's new CEO with the purpose of transforming the
internal culture in the organization.

The league cited Marshall's immediate directives in helping halt some of the
alleged misconduct that was overlooked in the past. Marshall, who said upon
her hiring that she was "disgusted" by SI's story, emphasized three main
focuses to address the franchise's issues: an independent investigation,
cultural transformation and operational effectiveness.

"I really want to see us as a model of how to respond to this," Marshall said.
"This is going on all around the country. I want us to be a model."

Since coming aboard, the NBA said Wednesday that the team has added and
replaced several leadership posts within the franchise, including hiring a new
head of Human Resources, a Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, a head of
Diversity & Inclusion and a new General Counsel.

--Field Level Media