Here we go again.
Despite a statement made Tuesday by estranged wife Shelly Sterling suggesting Donald Sterling is interested in selling the LA Clippers, the disgraced owner has come forward, saying the NBA is unfairly singling him out and hitting him with “draconian punishment.”
Yep, he took it there.
In the 32-page response to the NBA’s charges that his racist recordings damaged the league, Sterling also said he never violated his contractual agreements.
“A jealous rant to a lover never intended to be published cannot offend the NBA rules,” said the document, signed by Sterling.
“Judging in terms of the punishment already imposed, and the Commissioner’s current request, Mr. Sterling’s offense is far and away the worst offense that any player, coach or owner has ever committed in the history of the NBA,” his attorneys wrote. “In the past, the NBA has either punished offensive speech with a modest fine or ignored it.”
He vowed to fight the league’s move to force him to sell the franchise, noting that he himself has received offers amounting to $2.5 billion for the Clippers. If you recall, Shelly Sterling’s attorney, Pierce O’Donnell, said Sterling authorized Shelly in writing to sell the team, including his 50-percent stake.
The NBA released their response to the scathing 32-page letter of defiance sent by Sterling on Tuesday:
“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,” NBA vice president Mike Bass said in a news release Tuesday night. “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.”
To read more of Sterling’s response, click here.
SOURCE: USA Today | PHOTO CREDIT: SPLASH
