Mark Cuban to Pay $10 Million for #MeToo-related Violations By Mavericks

The money will be donated to organizations that promote women in leadership roles.

SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 27: Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on March 27, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 27: Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on March 27, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
NBAE/Getty Images

Following a seven-month investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct within the offices of the Dallas Mavericks, the NBA and Mark Cuban have agreed he will donate $10 million to organizations that promote women in leadership roles and combat domestic violence.

According to the NBA’s report about the investigation, the Mavericks were found to have “serious workplace misconduct by former and current employees” and “improper or ineffective management.”

Also, the NBA’s report says that claims of inappropriate comments and touching by former Dallas Mavericks president and CEO Terdema Ussery were substantiated by 15 current and former employees.

Under league rules, the NBA can only fine an organization $2.5 million, so the donation tactic is somewhat of a loophole and also underscores how bad the problems in Dallas were.

In addition to the donations, the NBA will also require the team to file quarterly reports to the NBA league office and report any significant employee misconduct.

In the original Sports Illustrated report that exposed the issues in Dallas, the work environment surrounding the Mavericks was described as ” a corporate culture rife with misogyny and predatory sexual behavior.”

The report also mentioned “alleged public fondling by the team president; outright domestic assault by a high-profile member of the Mavs.com staff; unsupportive or even intimidating responses from superiors who heard complaints of inappropriate behavior from their employees; even an employee who openly watched pornography at his desk.”

Players on the team were never implicated and denounced the behavior when the allegations surfaced.

The InsideHook Newsletter.

News, advice and insights for the most interesting person in the room.