ATLANTA (AP) – Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry has been disciplined by CEO Steve Koonin for making racially charged comments about Luol Deng when the team pursued the free agent this year.
The team did not provide any details of the discipline.
Atlanta’s WSB-TV reported it obtained a letter from Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. which cites Ferry telling the ownership group that Deng “has a little African in him” and was “a two-faced liar and cheat.”
Hawks spokesman Garin Narain said that team’s investigation of Ferry’s comments uncovered the racially inflammatory email written by co-owner Bruce Levenson. That discovery led to Levenson’s announcement Sunday that he will sell his controlling share of the team.
Ferry apologized Tuesday for “repeating comments that were gathered from numerous sources” about Deng.