DALLAS: Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban will donate $10 million to women’s organisations following a seven-month investigation into sexual harassment allegations within the organisation, the National Basketball Association (NBA) said on Wednesday.
The investigation followed a Sports Illustrated report in February that described a culture in the Mavericks’ front office “rife with misogyny and predatory sexual behaviour”.
The findings of an independent investigation, carried out on behalf of the Mavericks by external law firms and overseen by the NBA, were published on Wednesday.
The NBA issued a statement summarising the investigation’s findings, which said that there was no wrongdoing on Cuban’s part.
It added, however, the investigation substantiated numerous instances of sexual harassment and other improper workplace conduct within the Mavericks over a period spanning more than 20 years.
The investigation found “Mavericks’ management was ineffective, including a lack of compliance and internal controls, and the shortcomings permitted an environment in which acts of misconduct and the individuals who committed them could flourish”.
The Mavericks did not respond when asked for comment from Cuban or on behalf of the team but Cuban appologized to the women and their families on Wednesday after the report was released.
“I’m just sorry I didn’t see it. I’m just sorry I didn’t recognize it,” he said during an interview on ESPN’s The Jump.
“I just hope that out of this we’ll be better.”
The NBA said Cuban had agreed “to contribute $10 million to organisations committed to supporting women’s leadership and development in sports and combating domestic violence.”
The investigators spoke to 215 current and former Mavericks employees who worked for the team during the past two decades and evaluated more than 1.6 million documents, including emails.