On Tuesday, Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has finally addressed the massive $2.5 million fine and the lifetime ban the National Basketball Association has imposed on him following the publication of an audio tape of him making racial comments. Buzzfeed also said that Sterling also responded to attempts by the sports league to force him to sell the sports team.
In a 27-page document obtained by San Diego's KUSI News, Sterling labeled the NBA's punishment as "draconian," and insisted that he will be fighting the charges against him and will go at odds to keep the Clippers franchise/
In the first part of the statement, Sterling challenged anyone who will be using the infamous phone recording of him and rumored girlfriend V. Stiviano, claiming that the recording was obtained via illegal means and could not be entered as evidence to sought legal action against him. Incidentally, his statement clarified that he and Stiviano were lovers, saying that the recording was a passionate lovers' quarrel that conspired in private.
Sterling also said in the statement that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has yet to establish that he had properly violated an article of the sports league's constitution, which says "(Owners may be terminated for) fail or refuse to fulfill its contractual obligations to the Association, its Members, Players, or any other third party in such a way as to affect the Association of its Members adversely."
In the statement, Sterling had somewhat called the NBA to at least lift the ban for him to properly respond to the NBA's allegations and conduct his own investigation on the circumstances that led to the revelation of the tape online. Sterling stressed that he cannot do so much when he has been locked out from his office at the Staples Center and has been barred from having any involvement with his own team.
As a response to Sterling's statement, the NBA said that the sports league will be meeting on June 3 to vote on the charges against Sterling and the fate of his ownership of the Clippers franchise.
"This evening, the NBA received responses from Donald and Shelly Sterling to the charge to terminate the current ownership interests in the Los Angeles Clippers. The NBA Board of Governors will meet on June 3 at 1 p.m. in New York City to hear and vote upon this matter. Should the Board vote to sustain the charge, the Sterlings' interests in the Clippers will be terminated and the team will be sold," the sports league stated.
