Isiah Thomas Parses Who Can And Can't Say Bitch

2007_09_isiah2.jpg

The sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former Knicks executive finally offered up some soundbites from Knicks president and coach Isiah Thomas. And they weren't too good for the Knicks!

Anucha Browne Sanders, who was the vice-president of marketing for the Knicks, claims that Thomas acted inappropriately around her, from calling her derogatory names to claiming he was in love with her, and that Madison Square Garden executives did nothing to support her. Even though Browne Sanders admitted to a few things under cross examination (such as fudging her tax returns and asking Thomas to hand sign 4,500 letters to season ticket holders was probably not a great idea) the biggest bombshell was a videotaped deposition her lawyers made of Thomas. From the Daily News:

Asked if he was bothered by a black man calling a black female "bitch," Thomas said: "Not as much. I'm sorry to say, I do make a distinction.

"A white male calling a black female a bitch is highly offensive," Thomas said. "That would have violated my code of conduct."

"Maybe I shouldn't go there. ... A white male calling a black female, that is wrong with me. I'm not taking that. I'm not accepting that. ... That's a problem for me."

In the deposition, Thomas also denied ever swearing at Browne Sanders or calling her a ho, as well as saying, "I'm not attracted to her, no." Thomas did not appear outside court until an hour after the trial recessed for the day, apparently to chat with his lawyers and prepare a statement: "Please don't mischaracterize the video that was shown in court today. I don't think it's right for any man to ever call a woman a 'bitch.' I didn't do it, and I wouldn't do it. Thank you."

There was also testimony from a Knicks season ticket holder, Robert Levy, a lawyer who is not affiliated with either party. He bolstered Browne Sanders' claim that at a 2005 open practice Thomas was physically demonstrative with her. Levy said she looked "extremely uncomfortable at the time...."I heard him say at one point he couldn't get any love or no love from her. Mr. Thomas had his hand on Ms. Brown Sanders' shoulder. ... She seemed to be pulling away."

Thomas and MSG are trying to argue that Browne Sanders is just bitter because she was fired for unsatisfactory job performance.

Photograph of Isiah Thomas arriving at court yesterday by Louis Lanzano/AP

Email This Entry


Comments (10) [rss]

For the benefit of any younger readers:

Yes, boys and girls, the Knicks used to be a really good team and people were proud of them.

user-pic

the knicks organization is the laughingstock of all pro-sports. the owner has made such a mess out of this franchise. fire thomas and trade marbury. PLEASE!!!!

user-pic

put this black piece of shit porchmonkey in jail, so he can be someone else's bitch.

user-pic

as a dumb knick fan for the last 15 years i finally came to my senses last year and started rooting against these POS fucknuts who do whatever they can whenever they can. I suddenly realized that MSG has been one huge propaganda monopoly. You ever watch the knicks telecasts and the announcer will say "knicks fans are the smartest basketfall fans around"? no, they aren't. they are dumb as bricks. If they were smart they'd vote with their dollar and stop paying exorbitant season prices for garbage. But they still pay top dollar for crap and that's why Dolan and company are allowed to fuck up this team and bungle everything to their hearts content. what will their punishment be? sure there are empty seats at the garden but that's cause the fat cats just don't go to the games. they've already paid for the tickets. the number one reason the knicks suck is complacency. they don't have to try cause they are making money hand over fist by the wallstreet bankers who are paying money for courtside seats for status regardless if the team is good or not screwing fans who want to win a championship.

user-pic

i really hope that jimmy crackhead dolan takes it up the ass on this one. he deserves jail, but 10 million will do.

user-pic

regardless of the outcome the knicks will still suck, as long as marbury is their point guard and thomas their coach

user-pic

Hate Crime! Hate Crime!

Oh, wait, no....he's African-American.

Regular No Big Deal Crime! Regular No Big Deal Crime!

I know many black women that would disagree with Zeek on this one...

user-pic

i would personally like to bend this douchebag over and fuck him with my 15" un-lubed dildo.

user-pic

Oh that's interesting. That validates my usage of the word "nigger" in the non-race reference. As in the type of person of ANY race who is proud of the fact that they are uneducated, uncouth, uncultured, totally backwards dumbfuck. We can have white-niggers, black-niggers, latino-nigger, asian-nigger.

Hence, Isiah Thomas is a dumbfuck NIGGER.

Post a comment (Comment Policy)

Tips

Get your daily dose of New York first thing in the morning from our weekday newsletter, now in beta.

About Gothamist

Gothamist is a website about New York. More

Editor: Jen Chung
Publisher: Jake Dobkin

Newsmap

newsmap.jpg

Contribute

Latest Tip:

If someone were to call your home and tell you that they were your bank and they needed to verify yo
[more]

Latest Photo:

Subscribe

Use an RSS reader to stay up to date with the latest news and posts from Gothamist.

All Our RSS

Follow us