Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry is the latest sports figure to land in hot water by a recording, and as usual, the recording does little to help his case.
CBSSports.com reported that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained a copy of Ferry's comments about free agent Luol Deng in the offseason.
The recording is somewhat difficult to follow and does little to shed light on the context of Ferry's comments, other than to make clear that he was not reading from a report - as evidenced by all the "ums" he says during his dialog.
It's fairly evident that he's speaking without a script, although it's impossible to determine whether he is trying to tap his brain about the so-called "background conversations and scouting" he says was the basis for the comments he said that were a repetition of those conversations.
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But the recording does serve as a reminder of the complete lack of judgment Ferry, a Duke graduate, used in going over free agents with members of the Hawks' upper management. Co-owner Michael Gearon has asked majority owner Bruce Levenson to fire the general manager on June 12, according to NBCSports.com.
Ferry's comments led to the discovery of Levenson's own self-incriminating racially insensitive email that led to him stepping down.
The audio fails to support Ferry's claims during his apology that "Those words do not reflect my views, or words that I would use to describe an individual and I certainly regret it."
As SI.com commented, "He did use those words to describe the individual. Look at the quote again: Deng 'has a little African in him. Not in a bad way, but he's like a guy who would have a nice store out front but sell you counterfeit stuff out of the back.'
"Really? Do you think somebody wrote that Luol Deng 'has a little African in him ... not in a bad way' in a scouting report?
"And again: If somebody did write those words, who is he? And why hasn't he been fired?"
Multiple media outlets have joined Gearon in asking for Ferry's dismissal. In light of the Ray Rice investigation, it would seem to reason that Ferry should resign before another accusation against him comes out and makes it impossible for him to return to the NBA in any capacity.
But if he failed to translate a serious of comments or scouting reports, asking him to look into the future for his own protection is too much to ask.
Do you think Danny Ferry will still have a job as the Atlanta Hawks general manager when the NBA season starts? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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