Thomas Denies Harassing Colleague
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The president of the Knicks, Isiah Thomas, yesterday denied charges that he sexually harassed, made sexual advances toward, and discriminated against one of the team’s senior female employees. The charges are contained in a lawsuit filed by the employee, Anucha Browne Sanders.
At a press conference, Mr. Thomas said, “I did not harass Anucha. I did not discriminate against her. I did not fire her.” He added that he “will not allow her or anybody, man or woman, to use me as a pawn for their financial gain.”
Ms. Browne Sanders, 43, alleged in the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Tuesday that Mr. Thomas systematically harassed, marginalized her, and called her derogatory names. When that failed to make Ms. Browne Sanders “recede,” Mr. Thomas, 44, changed tactics, the suit claims, making sexual advances, “repeatedly professing his love for her, making comments about her physical appearance, and suggesting that they go ‘offsite’ together.”
Ms. Browne Sanders, who was the only female member of the Knicks’ senior management team, further claims she was fired at the conclusion of an investigation by Madison Square Garden, the owner of the Knicks, as “retaliation for her complaints of discrimination.” Ms. Browne Sanders said in a statement yesterday, “I took this action because I had no choice. My pleas and complaints about Mr. Thomas’ illegal and offensive actions fell on deaf ears.”
The lawsuit, against Mr. Thomas and Madison Square Garden, points a finger at the president and chief operating officer of Madison Square Garden Sports, Steve Mills, though he is not named as a defendant. The suit claims Mr. Mills failed to help Ms. Browne Sanders when she sought his aid.
Mr. Mills said yesterday, “I am appalled by Anucha Browne Sanders’s outrageous allegations. … I was stunned to learn that while she was still employed at MSG, she demanded $6.5 million to leave quietly.” One of Ms. Browne Sanders’s attorneys, Kevin Mintzer, said that the defendants are portraying the suit as an attempt to get money when it is really about “her career and what happened to her.” A former basketball player, Ms. Browne Sanders began her career at the Garden in 2000 as the Knicks’ vice president of marketing.
