First defense witness in Isiah Thomas suit: MSG exec was nearly fired
By LARRY McSHANE, Associated Press Writer
September 19, 2007

New York Knicks President and coach Isiah Thomas enters Manhattan federal court, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2007, in New York. Lawyers for a former Madison Square Garden executive suing Thomas for sexual harassment rested her case after four days of testimony portraying him as a foul-mouthed lout who loathed and then loved her.
AP - Sep 19, 11:55 am EDT
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NEW YORK (AP) -- A Madison Square Garden executive was ready to quit her high-salaried position -- and was nearly fired over her inability to handle work responsibilities -- in the months before she sued New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas for sexual harassment, a top MSG official testified Wednesday.

Steve Mills, MSG Sports president and CEO, was the first witness called as Thomas and MSG opened their defense in federal court against the charges made in a $10 million lawsuit by Anucha Browne Sanders.

Mills, who attended Princeton with Browne Sanders' sister Ruth, testified that he never heard a single complaint from the plaintiff about Thomas using profanity or making inappropriate sexual contact until a Dec. 15, 2005, e-mail.

By then, Mills testified, Browne Sanders had already approached him in tears to say she was overwhelmed by work and wanted to leave her position as vice president of marketing and business operations. In the meeting a month earlier in his office, Mills said, a weepy Browne Sanders "told me she's lost the confidence of the people she worked with, and she can't do this anymore. I agreed." Mills said he also agreed to keep her on the job while she looked for a position outside MSG.

Their conversation came three months after a disastrous financial forecast meeting where Browne Sanders could not answer questions posed by Garden chairman James Dolan, Mills said.

After that August 2005 meeting, MSG vice chairman Hank Ratner said, "We should fire her right now," Mills recalled.

Dolan, whose deposition in the case was played Tuesday by the plaintiff, stepped in and saved Browne Sanders' job, Mills said during 2 1/2 hours of direct testimony. A smiling Thomas seemed buoyed by the testimony after four days of sitting through the plaintiff's case.

Browne Sanders, a married mother of three and former Northwestern basketball star, was hired by the Knicks in late 2000. She was fired in January 2006, and claimed the dismissal came after she complained to MSG management about her mistreatment.

Under cross-examination, Mills was asked if the emotional November 2005 meeting was sparked by an e-mail containing allegations that Knicks star guard Stephon Marbury had called Browne Sanders a "black bitch."

"No, that's not accurate," Mills testified, although he recalled Browne Sanders referring to a potentially "explosive situation" within the Knicks organization.

Browne Sanders has alleged that Thomas initially treated her with disdain, including a litany of profanity, before becoming inappropriately physical and encouraging her to take their relationship "off site."

But Mills said the only mention of the two going "off site" came from Browne Sanders, who wanted the Knicks coach to attend an overnight off-season meeting in Connecticut. And Mills said when Thomas was told not to hug Browne Sanders after a December 2005 incident, the basketball Hall of Famer replied, "OK, cool."

The Garden claims she was dismissed for a failure to "fulfill professional responsibilities," and Mills testified to a number of problems that occurred on her watch.

Prior to Mills' appearance, presiding U.S. District Court Judge Gerard Lynch said Browne Sanders' attorneys had presented a "weak case" that the Knicks coach was involved in the woman's firing -- one of the allegations made in her suit.

"Of all the claims in this case, this is the one that looks to be a stretch," Lynch said before he nonetheless denied a defense motion to dismiss that claim. He said it was an issue better left to the jury at this point.

Updated on Wednesday, Sep 19, 2007 6:13 pm, EDT

Posted by EnySpree:


Now let me tell you guys something. We ALL should be going through the same **** that isiah and msg is going through. Do you know how many times I have said or have been involved in conversations like, "damn man she has a fat ass", "I would **** the **** out of that bitch", etc.....

Posted by BasketballJones:

Posted by EnySpree:


Now let me tell you guys something. We ALL should be going through the same **** that isiah and msg is going through. Do you know how many times I have said or have been involved in conversations like, "damn man she has a fat ass", "I would **** the **** out of that bitch", etc.....

At work?

Posted by SupremeCommander:

I don't know... I really don't think she was sexually harassed because I can't see one of the 50 Greatest (and someone who looks like he could still ball, I might add) would put himself in that type of situation with someone as busted as her.

MSG is obviously a circus though. It seems more than likely executives acted improperly in her termination. I don't think she will win on her sexual harassment claim but I do think the jury will award her something for improper termination.

Posted by BasketballJones:

I don't know what the truth is in this case, but I have to wonder: If the bitch was so incompetent, why was she kept on for six years?

Posted by Nalod:

Posted by nixluva:

This is why I've had a problem with the media coverage of this case from day one. The press, especially the female writers have been all too happy to believe every claim by Anucha and to cast Isiah and MSG as the evil empire. Then you've got Knick fans here just LOVING this and hoping that Isiah loses so we can get rid of him. Let me tell you that this kind of thing can happen to anyone.

People don't like this regimes so they find it easy to believe anything negative. Just cuz it happened to the Knicks doesn't mean that we've got to believe it. Oh it's Isiah and Dolan so they must have done it. Look at how Smug Isiah is. He just looks guilty. Look at how crazy Steph is, he's a dog so that means Isiah, Mills and Dolan must be guilty. This is not to say that none of the things she claims didn't happen, but can the Knicks get due process at least? They didn't even get a chance to present their case and some here are all too ready to condemn them. Let's just see what happens after the defense has presented their entire case.

This is just ANOTHER symptom of the rotting DISorganization we call the Knicks. I understand your ALWAYS giving the benefit of the doubt no matter as your a superfan, but really the there has been a bad stench to the garden ever since Isiah slithered in and started running things.

So many statements: from his negotiations with his son when Dolan offered him the job, to his wanting to help Chaney, to the many faceted misques he took to fire chaney and hire lenny in despiration, and the list goes on and on. Really very little that comes out of his mouth has been truthful. The whole thing about pride really went out the window long ago. This guy opens his mouth and he just telling us what we want to hear.

I root for my team to win but Isiah makes me sick. A slick man with no substance who has parlayed his HOF cred into many opportunities but lacks executive talent to be both tactical in implimenting his vision and empathetic to understand the ramifications of what his power can and cannot do. Dressing nice and saying nice things with a winning smile but at the same time bringing the rough street attidude to the board room does not work. Instituting his "will" is not enough to get the job done.

The whole Lenny to Larry thing was a complete waste of time, energy and tens of millions! Bringing Marbury in and thinking he could remake him was a complete waste. Marbury has been reduced to the villiage idiot! His talents for coaching and drafting are tangable and I give him credit there. He has yet to really do much as a coach and really got the gig because he is "Isiah".

I just got an e-mail from Dale and Thomas Popcorn and Dale is now featured on the site. I sent them a reply to take me off the list. Its a great product and I did sent some as gifts but with Isiah on board its like the dude in the office who you see in the wash room who does not wash his hands after relieving himself then reaching in the M&M jar. No matter how good the corn is, Isiah got his paws on it and Im not buying anymore.

This is all Dolans fault for bringing this poseur in the house and thinking he could run things. While Dolan can't be made gone, its high time the KNicks fired its president. I could stomach him as coach and let his record dictate his tenure. If he wins he can stay, otherwise show him the door. No different than any other NBA coach.

We did not let Riley have this power and he was worth it, but we let this clown have it? Does not sit well with me at all.

Posted by COSSUCKS:

All a bunch of hype. This case is a joke.

She was bad at her job and was called a bword by marbury. Not worth 10 million and Dolan didnt do anything to her except fire her for interfering in an investigation. This after she did not get along with many people, committed tax fraud, and did a very poor job.

Sue Marbury for the bword if its that traumatic.