It doesn’t look like Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling will bow out of the NBA without a fight.
An attorney for Sterling sent a letter Thursday to the NBA arguing that the banned Clippers owner hasn’t done anything to warrant punishment and will not pay a $2.5 million fine that is already past due, according to Sports Illustrated and USA Today.
“We reject your demand for payment,” the letter reads, as quoted by Sports Illustrated.
NBA commissioner Eric Silver banned Sterling from the NBA for life last month after an audio recording of Sterling making racist comments was published by TMZ. Silver also fined the Clippers owner and encouraged the league’s board of governors to force Sterling to sell the team.
Sterling’s attorney, Maxwell M. Blecher, argued in the letter that his client didn’t violate any article of the NBA constitution and claimed the league violated Sterling’s due process rights. Blecher concludes the matter “will be adjudicated,” so Sterling would be wise not to give any more interviews like this one if he’s going to get litigious.
Sterling is going to argue that since the NBA has long known he is a racist, and did absolutely nothing about it, they are legally barred from taking action now.
I hate that this is my first comment on the site after being a member since Prime launched, but it’s Adam Silver, not Eric Silver.
Pedantry for the win!
Oh, yeah, THAT’S how crazy old people roll . . .
Fine - just boot the team out of the league. Then it is WORTHLESS!
Maybe he thinks he’s been charged with murder, because he’s putting together one hell of an insanity defense. Put the old fool out on an ice flow and let him argue with the wolves.