Dallas Mavericks' Workplace Culture 'Corrosive' For Women: Report

DALLAS, TX — A report published Tuesday by Sports Illustrated shines light on a history of misconduct toward women within the offices of the Dallas Mavericks NBA basketball team. Several high-ranking employees, including a former team president and CEO, are accused of predatory and abusive behavior toward women.

Among those named in the report is former team president Terdema Ussery, who left the Mavs in 2015. According to the report, he was known for exhibiting inappropriate behavior toward women during his 18 year tenure with the Mavs.

Earl K. Sneed, a beat writer and former host of Fox Sports Southwest’s “Mavs Insider” weekly television show, was also named in the report. Accused of abusive misconduct toward a female Mavs employee with whom he allegedly had a romantic relationship in 2014, Sneed was suspended shortly before the report was published.

Sneed continued working for the Mavs after he was sentenced for a violent domestic dispute with his girlfriend during the 2010-2011 season, Sports Illustrated reported. He pleaded guilty to the Class A misdemeanor charge and paid a $750 fine.

He later became involved with the Mavs employee, the repot said. In 2014, she reportedly told her supervisor he had hit her during a dispute, but his employment with the team continued into 2018.

At least six women contacted by Sports Illustrated left their jobs with the Mavericks or the American Airlines Center because the environment "left them feeling vulnerable and devalued while protecting—and continuing to employ—powerful men who misbehaved," the publication wrote.

The Mavericks shared a response to the allegations on its website, stating the organization takes the women' accusations extremely seriously.

According to the statement, the Mavs only recently learned the myriad of complaints — perhaps because of complacency among human resources staffers. An employee whose job it was to investigate the complaints was suspended pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation being conducted by an outside counsel, the statement claims. Buddy Pittman, the team's head of Human Resources was also fired.

Team owner Mark Cuban told Sports Illustrated he had no knowledge of the caustic culture in Mavs' offices.

“This is all new to me,” he told the publication. “The only awareness I have is because I heard you guys were looking into some things… . Based off of what I’ve read here, we just fired our HR person. I don’t have any tolerance for what I’ve read.”

Cuban told Sports Illustrated the Mavs were creating a hotline for counseling and support services for both current and former team employees. He is also requiring sensitivity training for all employees, the report states.

Click here to read the Sports Illustrated report in full.

The Dallas Mavericks logo during an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)