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Are you rushing to judgment on Danny Ferry?


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Atlanta Hawks president of basketball operations and general manager Danny Ferry has recently come under fire for making racially inappropriate remarks during a team conference call in June regarding forward Luol Deng – who was headed toward unrestricted free agency.

 

Ferry, who was reading verbatim from various scouting reports on Deng prepared by third parties, failed to self-edit the commentary when addressing his audience, which included Hawks minority owner Michael Gearon, Jr.  In the meeting’s aftermath, Gearon sent a letter to Hawks controlling owner Bruce Levenson requesting him to take “severe action against” Ferry for the remarks.

 

Gearon’s letter helped spark an internal investigation which ultimately led to a 2012 email, sent by Levenson, being uncovered filled with racially insensitive comments regarding African-Americans who attend Hawks games.

 

Levenson has recently announced his intention to sell his stake of the franchise. On flip side, there are many who believe ushering Ferry out the door is best for the franchise in the long run.

 

Despite Ferry’s admitted mistake, current ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas says his view of the veteran league executive has never wavered. Bilas and Ferry were teammates at Duke University back in the 1980s and have maintained a friendship over the years. Bilas believes Ferry is a man of high integrity and that the image currently being circulated on social media and in the mainstream press at the present moment doesn’t reflect the man he has come to respect over the years.

 

“I have known Danny Ferry for 30 years,” Bilas told Basketball Insiders. “He is and always has been a great teammate and friend.  I have always known him to be a man of great character and integrity and, knowing him as I do, I don’t doubt his character or integrity for one second.”

 

Hawks CEO Steve Koonin has since disciplined Ferry for those comments. The terms of the punishment for the inflammatory remarks haven’t been disclosed publicly.

 

Due to the emergence of social media in today’s society, public figures and their exploits are more visible than ever. The rapid advancement of social media also means that a lifetime spent building a distinguished reputation of high character and respect can ultimately be diminished to rubble within mere minutes.

 

These are the days and times we reside. There’s no need to blindly reminisce about the days of yesteryear where news was more conservative and traveled at a much slower pace. Those times, unfortunately for some, are never coming back. These are the days of rapid reaction, emotionally charged responses and a demand for swift and heavy handed punishment. While there’s nothing wrong with those three attributes on the surface, it is also our responsibility to conduct and push healthy dialogue to the forefront.

 

Ferry has spent nearly 25 years in the league as a player or in a front office capacity.  A couple of players reached by Basketball Insiders expressed their shock Ferry’s name was involved with anything associated with race in a negative capacity which echoes Bilas’ sentiments.

 

But with a majority ownership change looming and the trend of new leadership regimes inserting their own guys in front office positions, it appears the vultures are circling overhead in Atlanta.

 

But this is a time to spark strong dialogue on a variety of topics. Ferry has carved out a successful career in a league filled with minorities. Ferry has placed minorities in high ranking positions within the organization. Ferry’s track record, up until now, has been seemingly clean. While you may not ever envision yourself making the same type of mistake Ferry made back in June, it doesn’t change the fact it was, by his account, a mistake. And sometimes mistakes and lapses in judgment are just that, without anything more sinister brewing beneath the surface.


Read more at http://www.basketballinsiders.com/are-you-rushing-to-judgment-on-danny-ferry/#37ipRmYCaS27Vh6B.99

 

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The guy has poor judgement and he has no business being in a decision making position. If you are simply saying that you are not rushing to judgement. The people trying to defend him are the ones trying to sway your judgement and opinion.

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I knew it was f***ing Gearon that snitched!  If anyone needs to be gone, it needs to be that snake in the grass.  What's the matter Gearon, Ferry stealing your thunder?  Asshole.

 

Danny Ferry does NOT deserve to be fired.  The punishment does not fit the crime and I don't think Ferry staying employed will affect us signing free agents and keeping players, but the ASG staying in power will.  People make mistakes and this will have blown over by next offseason.

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People just don't want to see him go because he will draw in those star free agents like he was before this. Oh wait.

 

 

As long as Bud didn't say something stupid, let this process ride out and wait until the audio comes out. These 'Atlanta Hawks' might not even exist anymore if a smart owner buys the team, so let's not try too much to get Ferry out of this situation yet. You might not even have a Hawks team too root for.

Edited by RWF
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He's the best GM this team has had hands down. And he landed us the best coach we've ever had OVER Fratello and Wilkens. Firing the guy because he called Deng a "hustler" is absolutely retarded.

Keeping him won't be politically correct but firing him will be the dumbest thing the Hawks have done in 10 years and that's covering ALOT

Edited by gsuteke
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I would prefer to keep Ferry but I think there is just too much pressure from Atlantans and the National media for us to keep him. I see stuff on the local news about boycotting and what not. it's just too much negative press and unneeded distraction.

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I would prefer to keep Ferry but I think there is just too much pressure from Atlantans and the National media for us to keep him. I see stuff on the local news about boycotting and what not. it's just too much negative press and unneeded distraction.

Boycotting? All the fans that already don't go to the games? :-)
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vocal minorities - the majority had better stand up or this same nonsense may bite you in the butt one day .  But if you guys want to jump on the " get the racist " bandwagon , chose any comment coming form the Rev Al Sharpton  - hes made several racist comments through the years but it never seems to matter to the " vocal minority." Funny how that works huh?

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That's the reaction I was looking for.

 

Oh I know. I just thought it deserved a succinct reply that showed how I truly felt about your humorous post. 

I'm not on the bandwagon to fire Ferry over this. That being said, I would fire him on job performance.

 

Eh, I think you'd fire Ferry if you were sitting in the middle seat of the plane and he were next to you and bumped your elbow. 

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As usual I'm switching back and forth on this...but that's OK...I have no influence.

 

I've read a bunch of posts but a couple things I haven't read would interest me.  Was Danny reading from some sort of scouting document that discussed a bunch of potential free agents...kind of an Executive summary...or just Deng?  If he was going from one potential free agent to the next fairly quickly I could understand it better.

 

Also, what was the reactions at the time of the other owners.  Was there a dead silence (at which point one might expect D.F. to say something like "hey, those aren't my words"), or were their chuckles from the owners?  I don't suppose we will ever know.

 

Still...the whole "selling stuff out the back" comment makes no sense whatsoever from a basketball standpoint.  How would a "professional scout" come up with something like that?...and why would he?

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As usual I'm switching back and forth on this...but that's OK...I have no influence.

 

I've read a bunch of posts but a couple things I haven't read would interest me.  Was Danny reading from some sort of scouting document that discussed a bunch of potential free agents...kind of an Executive summary...or just Deng?  If he was going from one potential free agent to the next fairly quickly I could understand it better.

 

Also, what was the reactions at the time of the other owners.  Was there a dead silence (at which point one might expect D.F. to say something like "hey, those aren't my words"), or were their chuckles from the owners?  I don't suppose we will ever know.

 

Still...the whole "selling stuff out the back" comment makes no sense whatsoever from a basketball standpoint.  How would a "professional scout" come up with something like that?...and why would he?

 

Maybe Danny Ferry is a drunk or a drug addict? That's the only explanation for the statement that he made making any sort of sense. 

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Well I just mean...would a "scout" really say something like that?  I could see the "has a little African in him" comment - and that can be interpreted multiple ways (maybe that he still has hops?) - but why in the world would an NBA scout write something about "if he had a store?...."

 

It also doesn't make any sense coming from Ferry either though.  Odd.

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