|
A federal jury eight years ago found that Thomas, then coach
of the New York Knicks, made unwanted advances to team executive
Anucha Browne Sanders, and it ordered Madison Square Garden and
its chairman, James Dolan, to pay her $11.6 million in punitive
damages for unfairly firing her after she complained about
Thomas.
"I've always maintained my innocence," Thomas told reporters on
Thursday at the team's training camp. "I've moved on from that.
Our organization has moved on from that.
"I'm proud of the way I've lived my life and I'm proud of the
man that I stand here today before you."
Several high-profile domestic abuse cases involving athletes
over the past year have led sports leagues in the United States
to take a second look at how they treat women's issues. Dolan's
move to name Thomas as the Liberty's president and give him an
ownership stake has raised some eyebrows.
Thomas, 54, who won two National Basketball Association
championships as a point guard with the Detroit Pistons before
retiring in 1994, was Knicks president from 2003 to 2008 and
beginning in 2006 also coached the team for two years.
He and Dolan met with Liberty players before training camp
opened on Sunday.
"It was necessary to do it because we live in a society where
the information that's out there, some's accurate, some's not
accurate," Thomas said. "We felt it was necessary to meet,
discuss and have an open forum, let our players ask any
questions and then give our side."
Thomas, who was never found personally liable in the Sanders
discrimination case, said the Liberty players were "grown women
and they can make up their own minds and come to their own
conclusions."
The WNBA said Thomas' application to become a part owner of the
Liberty was under review. Madison Square Garden owns the club.
Thomas said frank discussions about sexual discrimination had
been a good thing.
"It has made our sport better, it has made our society better
and it has made humanity better because it's out of the closet
and we discuss it," he said.
(Reporting by Steve Ginsburg in Washington; Editing by Peter
Cooney)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
