As each day passes, the Atlanta Hawks-Danny Ferry situation grows worse. From what was once an issue over a negative letter on the Hawks’ racial crowd disparity has now turned into another display of racism in the league, with Ferry negatively categorizing Miami Heat star Luol Deng as a bad African through a scouting report.
According to an unknown scout, stereotyping has never been done in a negative manner that Ferry chose to use it in.
"“I’ve never seen that before, not in a negative way,” the veteran scout said. “You might say a typical ‘European’ player, but ‘African’ has its own special connotation. It’s not neutral, and then there were the subsequent comments. I think it’s exceptionally rare. I’ve read hundreds, thousands of scouting reports. At draft time you see all the reports, and this simply does not ring a bell about a racial component. You’re always evaluating character. What’s rare is connecting character to racial stuff. That’s what was so troubling about this.”"
And there lies the true issue with what Ferry did–it’s not uncommon for NFL scouts (or any sports scouts) to dig into a persons character, but one negative connotations are being made, namely those that are point-blank racist, it immediately becomes unacceptable.
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We see it time and time again how a poor personality and character can affect ones perception in the NBA. The latest case that comes to mind is former Indiana Pacers shooting guard Lance Stephenson. Following his ear-blowing stint with LeBron James in the playoffs, many expected his actions to dock him come free agency. We’ll never know if it truly did–Stephenson signed a two-year, $18 million deal with the Charlotte Hornets–but it was a prevalent issue that drew many eyes.
No one is sure how this saga plays out. Currently on a leave of absence, Danny Ferry’s time in the NBA could be up depending on whatever actions the owner of the Atlanta Hawks–or future owner of the franchise–decides to do.