Adam Silver not to be fined by NBA for meeting the owner of largest Players agency at U.S. Open
The National Basketball Association (NBA) NBA has revealed that deputy Commissioner Adam Silver will not be fined for his meeting with Casey Wasserman. Wasserman is the owner of the largest agency representing NBA players at present
and was seen with Adam Silver at the U.S. Open.
The NBA went into lockout on July 1st because of labour dispute. The league has put certain restrictions during the lockout, breaching which can result in fines of as much as $1 million. One such rule is that NBA officials,
team owners and coaches cannot come into any contact with NBA players or agents for the duration of the lockout.
As Casey is the head of an agency, many in the NBA cried foul when he was seen publicly hanging out with the deputy commissioner.
League spokesman Mike Bass though clarified the situation,
"Our rules prohibit team personnel from having contact with NBA player agents," Bass said. "Casey Wasserman is not an NBA player agent and Adam Silver is not a team employee. There are no issues here."
Agent Happy Walters voiced his concern over the non-fine and called for a fair and balanced approach where the rules apply to everyone.
"If it's a rule for everybody else it should be a rule for the NBA office," Walters said. "The reason the rule is out there is so that people involved in negotiations from both sides are not discussing it outside of the theatre
they want to discuss it in, which is the negotiating table. But Silver's getting together with the owner of an agency that controls the most players and also has the most hawkish of all the agents."
Wasserman is still the head of numerous agents who represent NBA players. Hardliners had hoped that some action will be taken, but the NBA does allow for the Commissioner, David Stern, and deputy commissioner, Adam Silver, to have
some leeway in these matters.
For example, Silver and David Stern are authorized to speak to the NBA players in the various meetings they have held since the lockout began. They are the designated mouthpiece of the whole league for this purpose, and also to
speak to the media.
The league has barred all officials, owners and coaches from even speaking to the media about the lockout or mentioning any NBA player in interviews etc. However, David Stern and Silver are allowed to do so.
Just recently Michael Jordan, former basketball legend and current owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, came under the microscope for breaching the rule. Jordan gave an interview to an Australian publication discussing the lockout and
also mentioned Milwaukee ‘ star Andrew Bogut by name.
His actions immediately came under intense scrutiny because of the ban and this month Michael was served with a reported fine worth $100,000.
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