Isiah Thomas and Knicks faced s*xual harassment charges leading to a $11.6 million payout to the victim

Akash Murty | 27/07/2022
Isiah Thomas and Knicks faced s*xual harassment charges leading to a $11.6 million payout to the victim

Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas cost MSG and James Dolan a sum of $11.6M for sexually harassing a Knicks employee in 2006.

Isiah Thomas is, to date, one of the most notorious players that ever played the game of basketball. The “Bad Boy” Pistons’ chief, who is also one of the greatest point guards of all time, could not keep himself from getting involved in dirtiness outside the court after his retirement.

After retiring from the NBA in 1994, the 12x All-Star took up a job as the head coach for the Indiana Pacers for three years starting in 2000. He then joined the Knicks as the President of Basketball Operations in 2003.

It was in January 2006 that a Knicks executive, Anucha Browne Sanders, working in the Knicks organization filed a case against the Pistons’ legend for alleged “years of profane outbursts and s*xual harassment.”

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Isiah Thomas walked free off charges due to lack of evidence whereas James Dolan lost a huge chunk of money

While that case was still going on, James Dolan decided to make Thomas take the coaching job again, moving him from his office job starting in the 2006-07 season.

A year later in October 2007, a jury ruled that Isiah Thomas sexually harassed a former team executive and that Madison Square Garden, the owner of the team, instead of acting against Thomas, improperly fired her for complaining about the unwanted advances.

The jury, in Federal District Court in Manhattan, ruled that Sanders is entitled to $11.6 million in punitive damages from the Garden and James L. Dolan, the chairman of Cablevision, the parent company of the Garden and the Knicks. Meanwhile, Isiah walked free due to a lack of evidence.

Of that figure, $6M was awarded because of the hostile work environment Mr Thomas was found to have created, and $5.6M because Ms Sanders was fired for complaining about it. Mr Dolan’s personal share in the compensation was $3 million, the Garden was liable for the rest.

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Surprisingly, the 2x NBA champ continued as Knicks coach for another season before getting fired in 2008 for not being able to deliver success with the team.

Yeah, that’s the only thing he got the punishment for, besides his reputation. But the man still kept getting jobs in the biggest sports shows. Ironically, he landed a president job with a WNBA team in 2015. In New York. He personally wasn’t found guilty after all.

 

 

Post Edited By: Akash Murty
Isiah Thomas James Dolan MSG New York Knicks New York Liberty

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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