For over a month, the Mavericks organization has cooperated with Sports Illustrated on a story about an alleged sexual assault by a Mavs employee. The Mavs take all allegations of sexual assault extremely seriously and reminded SI of the ZERO-TOLERANCE policy put in place in March of 2018 that includes zero-tolerance of misconduct of any kind such as sexual assault, sexual harassment, bullying, false allegations, etc.
It is concerning that Sports Illustrated published this piece with several facts having been omitted, mischaracterized and reported inaccurately. SI knows that this case was brought to the Mavs with a request for money and merchandise, however the Mavs conducted a thorough investigation into all matters contained in the original email including allegations of sexual assault. The Mavs have always responded immediately every time the alleged victim has reached out during and after the formal investigation process. The Mavs have always been in pursuit of the truth. While allegedly critical evidence may exist, the Mavs were not provided it to take into consideration. The formal investigation is currently closed pending further credible evidence emerging and the zero-tolerance policy remains.
The Mavs’ processes and procedures are robust. It’s not just about the zero-tolerance policy, which is important, but the organization has a values-based culture, training, a hotline, an entire code of conduct and an investigation process that works. The Mavs organization has policies in place to address issues as they arise, swiftly and fairly, and has consistently done so over the past 2.5 years. Since March 2018, the Mavs have a track record of responding to substantiated misconduct allegations. The lines of communication are always open. If there is evidence to be provided, it has been and continues to be welcomed.
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