The email that changed Bruce Levenson's life arrived on a mild Maryland evening in June 2014 just as he was settling into a dinner of fresh local crab. It was from Michael Gearon Jr., his partner in ownership of the Atlanta Hawks for more than a decade. The subject line read "re Danny Ferry."
Something was wrong. The two partners didn't always see eye to eye, but when one wanted to speak to the other, he picked up the phone or dashed off an informal email. So why was this one written in legalese? Why was there no warning?
In the email -- prepared with the aid of two attorneys -- Gearon called for Ferry's immediate firing because of a racially charged comment Ferry, the Hawks' general manager, had made during a conference call several days earlier in regard to Luol Deng.
"If Ferry's comments are ever made public," Gearon wrote, "and it's a safe bet to say they will someday, it could be fatal to the franchise."
Gearon, who never hid his enmity for Ferry because of the indifference the GM showed him and his beloved franchise's history, also noted he had an audio recording of the call.
Levenson took it as a threat. He was floored -- and in a tricky spot.
Just a month before, Levenson had taken to CNN to proclaim he couldn't be partners with Donald Sterling after audio of a racist comment made by the soon-to-be-removed owner of the Los Angeles Clippers leaked. Levenson told an Atlanta radio station "the league has to have a zero-tolerance policy against racism and discrimination in any form."
This was supposed to be the dawn of a pax romana for the Hawks under Levenson's ownership. After years of devastating financial losses and ownership in-fighting, things were finally turning favorable. He had just added new investors that brought fresh and stabilizing capital, there were ongoing local and national television negotiations that promised huge new windfalls and, most importantly, he was thrilled about the future of his team as he'd put in place a general manager and coach who he firmly believed were going to make the Hawks a championship contender.
Now here he was, staring at a cell phone fused with the next NBA firestorm.
This is the story, based on conversations with more than 25 sources close to the situation, of how the Hawks' regime was torn apart.
NBA - How the Atlanta Hawks' regime fell apart
Something was wrong. The two partners didn't always see eye to eye, but when one wanted to speak to the other, he picked up the phone or dashed off an informal email. So why was this one written in legalese? Why was there no warning?
In the email -- prepared with the aid of two attorneys -- Gearon called for Ferry's immediate firing because of a racially charged comment Ferry, the Hawks' general manager, had made during a conference call several days earlier in regard to Luol Deng.
"If Ferry's comments are ever made public," Gearon wrote, "and it's a safe bet to say they will someday, it could be fatal to the franchise."
Gearon, who never hid his enmity for Ferry because of the indifference the GM showed him and his beloved franchise's history, also noted he had an audio recording of the call.
Levenson took it as a threat. He was floored -- and in a tricky spot.
Just a month before, Levenson had taken to CNN to proclaim he couldn't be partners with Donald Sterling after audio of a racist comment made by the soon-to-be-removed owner of the Los Angeles Clippers leaked. Levenson told an Atlanta radio station "the league has to have a zero-tolerance policy against racism and discrimination in any form."
This was supposed to be the dawn of a pax romana for the Hawks under Levenson's ownership. After years of devastating financial losses and ownership in-fighting, things were finally turning favorable. He had just added new investors that brought fresh and stabilizing capital, there were ongoing local and national television negotiations that promised huge new windfalls and, most importantly, he was thrilled about the future of his team as he'd put in place a general manager and coach who he firmly believed were going to make the Hawks a championship contender.
Now here he was, staring at a cell phone fused with the next NBA firestorm.
This is the story, based on conversations with more than 25 sources close to the situation, of how the Hawks' regime was torn apart.
NBA - How the Atlanta Hawks' regime fell apart
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