Atlanta Hawks GM apologizes after racial comment to season ticket holder

ATLANTA, USA – Atlanta Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox has apologized for a racially insensitive comment he made at a recent meeting with season-ticket holders.

Wilcox issued a statement in response to a US media report that he made an insensitive comment that offended season ticket holder Clarenton Crawford, who is black, and his wife during a question-and-answer session in December.

According to Deadspin, the session became heated as fans disagreed over what the team, which is currently 20-16, needed to improve. Crawford had said the Hawks should replace coach Mike Budenholzer with Mark Jackson, offering to renew his season tickets for two more seasons if the team did so.

Wilcox reportedly tried to quell the tension with a joke, saying: “I know you guys may be angry with me, but I’m used to it because I have a black wife and three mixed kids, so I’m used to people being angry and argumentative.”

Crawford and his wife were said to be “livid” over the remarks.

“At an early December chalk talk, I made a self-deprecating comment at my own expense regarding my family, which is multi-racial. This joke offended Mr Crawford and his wife and for that, I apologize,” read the statement from Wilcox, who is white.

Hawks chief executive Steve Koonin and chief diversity officer Nazinga Shaw met with Crawford this week. 

The team says an internal investigation is continuing.

In 2014, then-Hawks general manager Danny Ferry was embroiled in controversy after making racial comments about African-born player Luol Deng which led to Ferry’s resignation. That same year Atlanta Hawks co-owner Bruce Levenson sold his interests in the team after emails revealed he had made comments that “the black crowd scared away the whites and there are simply not enough affluent black fans to build a signficant season ticket base.” – Rappler.com