The news of Rob Murphy’s alleged harassment of a former employee is shocking but not surprising. The NBA has had a long history of sexual predators using their authority over a team to exploit and harass their female employees. However, the tide is shifting now. Murphy not only faced an investigation after the accusations but was fired by Detroit for it. However, unlike the Pistons’ assistant GM, Isiah Thomas, who was embroiled in a similar controversy, has never faced the repercussions for his actions to this day.
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The Pistons’ camp is facing a huge controversy as DeJanai Raska, a former employee of the organization, has accused the now-former assistant GM of multiple counts of horrifying predatory acts. The Detroit Free Press reported Raska’s account of her time working with Murphy.
From unsolicited comments to grabbing her privates in front of her child, all of the accusations against Rob are not only career-ending but will lead to a lot more repercussions. But unlike the disgraced Detroiter, one Isiah Thomas walked away from his accusations relatively scot-free.
Isiah Thomas has managed to stay ‘popular and respectable’ despite allegations of s*xual assault
In 2006, back when Isiah Thomas worked with the New York Knicks, a female employee who worked as a team executive, Anucha Browne, claimed the former NBA star had s*xually targeted her and harassed her in the workplace. Sports Illustrated did a thorough report on the case.
But instead of reprimanding Isiah and starting an investigation, James L. Dolan fired Anucha for not fulfilling her professional responsibilities. Anucha, in retaliation, filed a lawsuit and won $11.6 million in damages for years of ‘profane outbursts and s*xual harassment’ from Isiah Thomas.
Eventually, the jury found both Isiah and Knicks liable for s*xual assault and ordered the guilty parties to pay Anucha $11.6 million in damages. However, even after the jury found Isiah guilty of it all, he still managed to retain his hold in popular culture.
Even today, Isiah is celebrated not just by the league but even some of the biggest media houses. He regularly talks on prime-time TV shows and has continued to find gigs in the NBA media.
Since the time the accusations from Anucha came out, Isiah has worked with NBA TV, been considered for the ownership of a WNBA Team, has been an acting president of the New York Liberties for 4 years, and worked with NBA on TNT as a regular panelist.
With all said and done, apart from the $11.6 million, Thomas has barely faced any consequences. Sure, he wasn’t allowed to become a WNBA owner, but that’s the worse that he faced for years of s*xually targeting a female employee.
The NBA needs to ostracize past offenders despite their legacy
The Isiah Thomas case is not the only of its kind. Like Karl Malone, Thomas has not only survived serious allegations but managed to thrive and increase his brand value and wealth.
The league needs to stop celebrating these men who used their position and authority to terrorize women. This is not a case where the grey area matters, it’s instead a conscious choice of punishing those who traumatized employees for life with their perversion. Hopefully, Rob Murphy’s case is the new norm now but that certainly doesn’t do justice to past victims.
