Mavericks Fire HR Director for Failing to Rein in Hostile Work Environment

Author: Robert S. Teachout, XpertHR Legal Editor

February 26, 2018

The Dallas Mavericks basketball team fired its head of human resources in the wake of a Sports Illustrated report detailing a hostile work environment. The report cited numerous complaints by current and former staff members, both male and female, of a sexually hostile work culture in the organization's front office. Employees pointed to the team's HR department as part of the problem.

Employees interviewed by Sports Illustrated called the organization "a real Animal House" and described an atmosphere "rife with misogyny and predatory sexual behavior." Much of the account focused on former Mavericks President and CEO Terdema Ussery. Many female employees described incidents of Ussery groping them and making sexual advances and lewd comments, including a comment about gang raping a female employee.

The Mavericks first investigated Ussery for inappropriate workplace behavior in 1998, two years before current owner Mark Cuban purchased the team, following complaints by several female employees. Afterward, the Mavericks brought in a new head of HR, Buddy Pittman, and revised their employee handbook to include a new sexual harassment policy, and Ussery remained with the team. Despite the changes, new claims of sexual harassment against Ussery continued to accrue. Ussery, who left the Mavericks in 2015 to take a position with Under Armour, denied the allegations. He left Under Armour under a cloud after just three months, allegedly for similar conduct.

Women working in the team's office said they complained to Pittman about Ussery and other employees' inappropriate sexual behavior (including one who openly watched pornography on his work computer) "countless times" but the "locker room" behavior continued. As a result, employees said they did not trust Pittman or the HR office to investigate concerns about sexual harassment and workplace misconduct.

Cuban fired Pittman on February 19, hours after learning of the then-pending SI article

Cuban denied having known about the pervasive hostile work environment, and said the Mavericks are establishing a counseling and support services hotline for past and current team employees. He also said he is mandating sensitivity training for all employees, including himself. In a statement, the team said it has hired outside counsel to conduct an independent investigation to look at its workplace practices and policies. "There is no room for such conduct in the Mavericks' workplace - or any workplace," the statement said.

The report highlights the importance of having a reporting process that employees trust and conducting independent investigations into sexual harassment claims.