Danny Ferry Takes Indefinite Leave Of Absence From Hawks

 

Danny Ferry Takes Indefinite Leave Of Absence From Hawks
 

Danny Ferry has taken an indefinite leave of absence as general manager of the Atlanta Hawks, the team announced Friday.
 
Ferry's racial remarks toward Luol Deng in June recently became public.
 
Mike Budenholzer will assume control of basketball operations and will report to Steve Koonin.
Koonin released a statement.
 
“This afternoon, Danny Ferry requested, and I have approved, taking an indefinite leave of absence, effective immediately. This has been an incredibly difficult time for him and his family and it is my hope that this time away from the Hawks organization allows him the privacy he needs to listen to the community, to learn about his mistakes, and to begin the long process of personal healing.  As a human being, manager and friend, I wish him well as he undergoes this process.
 
"While the issues related to race are deeply troubling, at the heart of this dispute is an unfortunate disagreement amongst owners. That said, we have taken several steps to address what we can do as an organization to be better and stronger, including working with a diversity consultant to examine us and to train us to ensure something like this never happens again, we are committed to hiring a Chief Diversity Officer, and we have and will continue to meet with community leaders in an ongoing way to ensure our values reflect the community in which we play and work.  The process of selling the team, which is to remain in Atlanta, is already underway. ...
 
"I am deeply saddened and embarrassed that this has put a blemish on our team and our city, which has always been a diverse community with a history of coming together as one.  We should build bridges through basketball, not divide our community or serve as a source of pain.”

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Danny Ferry's Leave From Hawks Expected To Become Permanent
 

Danny Ferry's "leave of absence" as general manager of the Atlanta Hawks will almost assuredly become permanent.
"I still wonder why in the hell he would ever paraphrase that back to ownership," one NBA general manager said. "…Maybe just say, "Potential character issues have turned up but I would still recommend we sign him for up to 'X' million. I can't believe someone would ever repeat that or go into detail like that for an ownership level meeting."
Before Ferry met with Steve Koonin on Friday to finalize his leave of absence that most inside the organization believe will become permanent, Ferry met with members of the African-American clergy in Atlanta, according to a source.


Via Adrian Wojnarowski/Yahoo! Sports

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