Additional racist comments attributed to Clippers' Donald Sterling released

Cotton

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Additional racist comments attributed to Clippers' Donald Sterling released

By Steve Almasy, Kevin Conlon and Shelby Lin Erdman, CNN
updated 1:34 PM EDT, Sun April 27, 2014


(CNN)
-- The sports gossip website Deadspin released an additional audio recording Sunday from a conversation full of racist comments attributed to Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling.

The recording is five more minutes of a conversation that purports to be Sterling talking with girlfriend V. Stiviano earlier this month about her Instagram photo feed. The photos include images of her with African-Americans, including NBA great Earvin "Magic" Johnson.

If authentic, the remarks seem to reflect Sterling's embarrassment and frustration with Stiviano over her associating with African-Americans at Clippers games and for posting such pictures on her Instagram account.

In the longer recording, a man and woman talk about the photos and he tells her he cannot change cultural beliefs, Deadspin reported.
The woman says she doesn't think Sterling is racist but the people around him have "poison minds."

"It's the world! You go to Israel, the blacks are just treated like dogs," the man says.
He says there are white Jews and black Jews, and they are treated 100% differently.
"And is that right?" the woman asks.

"It isn't a question -- we don't evaluate what's right and wrong, we live in a society. We live in a culture. We have to live within that culture," the man replies.

When the woman says she doesn't share the man's views about race, he tells her: "Well then, if you don't feel -- don't come to my games. Don't bring black people, and don't come."

Shaq, Ba
rkley react to offensive comments

The woman, who says she is mixed race, reminds him most of his team's players are African-American.

"I support them and give them food, and clothes, and cars, and houses. Who gives it to them? Does someone else give it to them? Do I know that I have -- Who makes the game? Do I make the game, or do they make the game?"

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday that Sterling, who has owned the basketball franchise for nearly three decades, is now under investigation over the comments attributed to him.

According to the website TMZ, Sterling reportedly made the discriminatory remarks during an argument he had with Stiviano on April 9. TMZ posted a 10-minute recording online Friday, purporting to be the argument.

Clippers President Andy Roeser on Saturday suggested a woman -- whom he doesn't mention by name -- was "getting even" with Sterling over a lawsuit.

According to a report from CNN affiliate KCAL/KCBS last month, Rochelle Sterling, the wife of Donald Sterling, filed a lawsuit last month against a woman she said was having an affair with her husband.

Reaction: 'Disturbing and offensive'
NBA promises speedy investigation
Silver said that the league's investigation will seek to determine whether the tape is authentic and to figure out the context in which these "offensive and disturbing" comments were made.

But he cautioned that Sterling must be afforded due process, so he would not speculate on any possible punishment -- but said that the investigation will move "extraordinarily quickly."

Speaking about the recording, Roeser said, "We do not know if it is legitimate or it has been altered. We do know that the woman on the tape -- who we believe released it to TMZ -- is the defendant in a lawsuit brought by the Sterling family alleging that she embezzled more than $1.8 million, who told Mr. Sterling that she would 'get even.'"

Neither TMZ nor Deadspin has said who made the recording or how the websites obtained it.

Attempts to reach Stiviano on Saturday were unsuccessful.

The man alleged to be Sterling takes particular exception to a photo she posted to Instagram with Johnson.

"In your lousy f**ing Instagrams, you don't have to have yourself with -- walking with black people," the man says.

"If it's white people, it's OK?" she responds. "If it was Larry Bird, would it make a difference?"

Bird, the longtime Boston Celtics star, was Johnson's NBA rival.

"I've known (Magic) well and he should be admired. ... I'm just saying that it's too bad you can't admire him privately," the man on the recording says. "Admire him, bring him here, feed him, f**k him, but don't put (Magic) on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me. And don't bring him to my games."

Magic's response
Johnson responded Saturday afternoon via his verified Twitter account.

"I feel sorry for my friends Coach Doc Rivers and Chris Paul that they have to work for a man that feels that way about African Americans" read a tweet from @MagicJohnson. "I will never go to a Clippers game again as long as Donald Sterling is the owner," read another.

Even President Barack Obama weighed in.

At a press conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Sunday, Obama was asked about the comments on the recording.

"When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don't really have to do anything, you just let them talk. That's what happened here," the President said.
Obama also said Sterling's alleged comments are an example of how "the United States continues to wrestle with the legacy of race and slavery and segregation."
The president of the California NAACP suggested fans boycott Clippers games.

"We also suggest that African Americans and Latinos should honor his (Sterling's) request and not attend the games," Alice Huffman said in a statement released Saturday.
Sterling was to receive a lifetime achievement award at an event next month to mark the 100th anniversary of the Los Angeles NAACP, but the national organization tweeted Sunday that wouldn't happen.

Team says Sterling upset
Roeser said Sterling is upset and apologizes for sentiments attributed to him about Earvin Johnson. "(Sterling) has long considered Magic a friend and has only the utmost respect and admiration for him -- both in terms of who he is and what he has achieved."

Sterling is "emphatic that what is reflected on that recording is not consistent with, nor does it reflect his views, beliefs or feelings," Roeser said.

"I don't know if I'm surprised or not," Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said at the team's practice Saturday, adding that he "obviously" didn't like the comments
.

Rivers, who is in his first year coaching the team, told reporters that he didn't want the controversy to distract from the playoffs. He said he would be the sole person speaking on behalf of the team.

Miami Heat forward LeBron James was one of several players and former players weighing in on the controversy. James spoke to reporters before the playoff game against the Charlottle Bobcats Saturday night.

"If the reports are true, it's unacceptable. It's unacceptable in our league. It doesn't matter if you're white, black, Hispanic, whatever, all across the races. It's unacceptable and as a commissioner in our league, they have to make a stand, and they have to be very aggressive with it."

"Should this guy continue to be an owner?" asked Shaquille O'Neal, who also called the comments "repugnant."

"We cannot have an NBA owner discriminating against the league," said Charles Barkley. "We're a black league."

Both discussed the issue during the Atlanta Hawks-Indiana Pacers halftime program on TNT, which like CNN is a division of Time Warner.

The players union's response will be led by Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, a former NBA star. "The reported comments made by Clippers owner Donald Sterling are reprehensible and unacceptable," he said in a statement.

Meantime, Sterling will be conspicuously missing from his usual courtside seats. He's agreed not to attend the Clippers playoff game Sunday in Oakland, California, against the Golden State Warriors.

Will the NBA make Sterling the first owner to give up team?
 

boozeman

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Wait, a rich white man is racist? Whoa.
 

NoDak

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Wait, a rich white man is racist? Whoa.
So, rich white men are racist?

I know a couple that could be considered rich. I'll have to keep an eye out for their racist tendencies.
 

boozeman

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So, rich white men are racist?

I know a couple that could be considered rich. I'll have to keep an eye out for their racist tendencies.
Don't be obtuse. I was not suggesting all old rich white men are racist. But by and large, I bet there is a good amount from that demographic.

And before you think I give a shit, I don't.

This is just not something that I find to be all that shocking honestly. About the only thing that is weird is that it is from an owner in a predominantly black sports league.
 

L.T. Fan

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Your move LT.
Booze needs to hang out with more rich old white guys. He would probably change his mind. I am pleased to know however that there are no young black or white racist.
 

Clay_Allison

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I think how rich we're talking about is a variable. Some guys are so rich they live in an insulated bubble where they don't feel any social stigma for acting like racist assholes.

I don't think a tool pusher in the oil field making 500k is the same kind of rich as a billionaire.
 

L.T. Fan

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I think how rich we're talking about is a variable. Some guys are so rich they live in an insulated bubble where they don't feel any social stigma for acting like racist assholes.

I don't think a tool pusher in the oil field making 500k is the same kind of rich as a billionaire.
Old white guys as a general matter don't work in the oil fields nor are they generally rich by American standards. I think the inference is that if you are old and white you are likely a racist. My point is that there is more likely to be racist views with the youth than the elderly.
 

Clay_Allison

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Old white guys as a general matter don't work in the oil fields nor are they generally rich by American standards. I think the inference is that if you are old and white you are likely a racist. My point is that there is more likely to be racist views with the youth than the elderly.
If you were in your 30s before the civil rights era and thus likely to have formed really stubborn racist opinions you'd be in your 80s or dead by now, so the racist grandpa trope should be slowly retiring from the public mindset.

That said, the rich thing is still a factor IMO. People try not to be offensive because they respond to peer pressure. Billionaires down to people worth tens of millions have few peers and are generally surrounded by yes men so if they have some offensive and unpopular beliefs, who is going to argue with them and tell them they are being a prick?
 

NoDak

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I think how rich we're talking about is a variable. Some guys are so rich they live in an insulated bubble where they don't feel any social stigma for acting like racist assholes.

I don't think a tool pusher in the oil field making 500k is the same kind of rich as a billionaire.
Huh? Who said anything about an oil field worker? This might come as a shock to you, but there are more than just oil field workers here.


And a tool pusher certainly doesn't make anything near 500k.
 

L.T. Fan

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If you were in your 30s before the civil rights era and thus likely to have formed really stubborn racist opinions you'd be in your 80s or dead by now, so the racist grandpa trope should be slowly retiring from the public mindset.

That said, the rich thing is still a factor IMO. People try not to be offensive because they respond to peer pressure. Billionaires down to people worth tens of millions have few peers and are generally surrounded by yes men so if they have some offensive and unpopular beliefs, who is going to argue with them and tell them they are being a prick?
I am trying to understand if this explains whether the racist attitude is more likely to be with older people or if the situation extends to all ages regardless of color. My sense tells me that the actions of individuals who enact hate crimes and racist activities are going to be prevailent with younger people via gangs and peer groups, etc. While all ages of every color will have racist attitudes I rarely see elderly promoting racial issues. I don't see wealth having anything to do with racist behavior or attitudes. To tie together White/Old/Rich to equal racist is as much a sterotyyping as identifying any other racist behavior or suspicion.
 

NoDak

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Billionaires down to people worth tens of millions have few peers and are generally surrounded by yes men so if they have some offensive and unpopular beliefs, who is going to argue with them and tell them they are being a prick?
I am amazed at how in touch you are with rich people.

As an aside, there are a shit ton of people up here now with millions of dollars of worth. I don't know any that are surrounded by yes men or those that have few peers.

Your ass. Stop talking out of it.
 

Clay_Allison

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I've had to work security at a gated community full of the most spoiled, rude, self absorbed super rich people you will ever care to meet. The only people that are more of a pain in the ass to deal with are their damned kids.
 

Smitty

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I think we're losing sight of a very important point here.

Donald Sterling is 100% Jewish. According to modern definitions, he's incapable of racism, because he actually doesn't come from a heritage of advantage, as a slighted minority.

Someone must have just quickly looked at his skin color and forgotten their story.
 

L.T. Fan

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I think we're losing sight of a very important point here.

Donald Sterling is 100% Jewish. According to modern definitions, he's incapable of racism, because he actually doesn't come from a heritage of advantage, as a slighted minority.

Someone must have just quickly looked at his skin color and forgotten their story.
Racism exists with every color and ethnicity and has for centuries. World history will teach you that.
 

Cotton

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Racism exists with every color and ethnicity and has for centuries. World history will teach you that.
I'm pretty sure he was being facetious.
 

1bigfan13

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I think we're losing sight of a very important point here.

Donald Sterling is 100% Jewish. According to modern definitions, he's incapable of racism, because he actually doesn't come from a heritage of advantage, as a slighted minority.

Someone must have just quickly looked at his skin color and forgotten their story.
Sterling's just a weird guy. Have you listened to the tape? I listened to some of it and it sounded as if he wasn't even aware that he was dating a minority.

If you've seen pics of his girlfriend you can tell right away that she's a minority. He loathes minorities yet he's dating one??? :shrug

To most of us that doesn't make sense but then I thought of it like this.

The guy clearly has a slave master mentality.

1. The girlfriend who is a minority....even though slave masters hated blacks they notoriously slept with and raped black women.

2. In 2011 Sterling reportedly brought his girlfriend(s) into the locker room to watch the players shower and made comments like "Look at those beautiful black bodies"

3. On this recent tape he makes comments about how he feeds, clothes, and houses the players. Like slave masters he clearly views them as nothing more than property instead of humans.
 
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Smitty

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Yeah, I'm not sticking up for Sterling. Guy's a douche.

I was just being snarky.
 
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