Stern Will Not Punish Knicks for Harassment Case

The commissioner of the NBA, David Stern, won't punish the coach of the Knicks, Isiah Thomas, or Madison Square Garden for their role in a sexual harassment trial that embarrassed the Knicks and the league.

"Instead, we are going to continue to focus our attention on a league-wide program ensuring that all teams have appropriate policies, clearly communicated to their employees, focusing on respect in the workplace including the prohibition of sexual harassment," Stern said in statement.

On Monday, Thomas and MSG settled the case brought by former team executive Anucha Browne Sanders for $11.5 million. A jury awarded her $11.6 million in punitive damages in October — a trial Stern wanted the Knicks to avoid, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press.

The person, who requested anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak about the matter, said he didn't know if Stern ever told the chairman of MSG, James Dolan, of his wishes to settle without going to trial.

Stern did criticize the Knicks in an ESPN interview in October. Asked what was learned by the trial, the commissioner responded: "It demonstrates that they're not a model of intelligent management. There were many checkpoints along the way where more decisive action would have eliminated this issue."