In the wake of the racist scandal currently thrust upon the Atlanta Hawks organization, CEO Steve Koonin issued an open letter apology to all those who’d listen.
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With general manager Danny Ferry on an indefinite leave of absence and majority owner Bruce Levenson set to sell his controlling stake in the team, Koonin is the man left atop the franchise and he wanted to make it clear that such behavior is not something accepted within the Atlanta Hawks organization.
Issuing the letter was obviously part of the protocol and well versed PR, though it seemed very genuine on the part of Koonin who is now tasked with saving the sinking ship.
You can read Koonin’s full letter below:
As for what’s next for Ferry, that doesn’t appear to be known. However, with Levenson selling his majority stake it seems very likely that Ferry will be out of a job. Whomever is to purchase the franchise will understandably clean house and the last thing they’ll want is to retain Ferry, who hasn’t exactly proven himself to be a top-notch GM in the first place.
Hopefully, much like the Los Angeles Clippers, the franchise will be able to move on and rebuild without the bad apple in the bunch. It’s sad to see a franchise crippled by poor decision making by a few individuals, especially those who have supported the organization through thick and thin.
But as previously seen, if the Clippers can make it through the Donald Sterling situation, the Atlanta Hawks should be able to do the same.