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Sharpton backs off threats to protest at Knicks home games
Associated Press

Updated: November 3, 2007, 5:59 PM ET
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NEW YORK -- Al Sharpton and his National Action Network backed off their threats of protests at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, satisfied with Isiah Thomas' stance on derogatory language toward women.

A taped deposition shown at a sexual harassment trial against Thomas and MSG appeared to show the Knicks coach saying he felt it was OK for a black man, but not a white one, to call a black woman "bitch."

But Thomas has stressed that the tape didn't properly portray his feelings that it was unacceptable for any man to use that language, only that it was worse if it came from a white man because of the racial overtones involved.

Rutgers women's coach C. Vivian Stringer also had criticized Thomas for the remarks in the deposition, but apologized after speaking to Thomas and hearing his side.

Thomas' wife, Lynn, met with Sharpton and Tamika Mallory, the national director of the Decency Initiative, on Friday night, bringing along a longer portion of the deposition than the approximately 11 minutes that were shown at the trial.

"Clearly in this tape, he said it was unacceptable, he said it was inappropriate, and he did not support it," Sharpton said. "That was not what was shown on television."

"I can also say, along with Vivian Stringer and Tamika Mallory, when people said that Isiah Thomas said it, in the sports vernacular, 'Go to the tape.' The tape says that he said a lot more than that, he said it was inappropriate. And based on that I join Miss Mallory and coach Stringer in saying that that is not a representation of what he said."

Lynn Thomas also made a rare public statement Saturday at the news conference, saying she felt it was "imperative in this issue to make a stand."

"I know my husband never said those things," she said. "If he spoke like that I would not be with him."

The Knicks play Minnesota on Sunday night in their home opener, and Mallory said there were plans for what would have been a "substantial protest."

Sharpton issued the protest threats early last month, shortly after a jury found that Thomas and MSG had sexually harassed former team executive Anucha Browne Sanders. Isiah and Lynn Thomas spoke by phone with Sharpton at that time, and planned a meeting to further discuss their beliefs.

Isiah Thomas detailed those again Saturday, saying he and his wife didn't raise their son believing it was all right to use that language, or their daughter that it was acceptable for her to hear it.

"I never said it was OK, I always said it was inappropriate, it was never acceptable for any man to speak to any female in a derogatory way," Thomas said.

Sharpton praised Thomas for coming to the National Action Network's headquarters in Harlem, even without knowing what kind of reception he would get, rather than holding the news conference at Madison Square Garden. Thomas had been in Cleveland on Friday night, coaching the Knicks in their season-opening loss to the Cavaliers.

I am not sure what to make of this. My take is that Sharpton is just backing down. The tape shows that Isiah says there is a difference between a white male and an african american male calling an african american female a bitch. Thomas in no way condones calling an african american women a bitch but he says it is less offensive if this is done by an african american male. I don't see how watching the tape changes this.

WOW
Is Sharpton related to all of this?
ounch... copy/paste problem.

THe triail was not about race, it was harrassment.

Franco, neither of us are even qualified to make a judgement on Isiah regarding his innocence or guilt. The trail was two weeks long and we only got a glimpse from the media.

MSG was found guilty and Isiah was actually not liable for damages for harassment, but he was the key man in the harrassment charges. Again found guilty.

Isiah has perhaps done a fair job of damage control on his name regarding the race thing. The damage was he called her "bitch" as a matter of course in the workplace repeadingly, not that he thought it was ok, or worse for white people to do so.

Isiahs real crime is the record of his knicks with Wins and loses. losing public opinion costs the team at the gate and with tix holders.