Fansided

Isiah Thomas continues to say dumb things (video)

By Stanford Crissey

Oct 5, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Isiah Thomas a NBA Hall of Famer watches as the Toronto Raptors host the Sacramento Kings during the first half at Rogers Arena. The Toronto Raptors won 99-94. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 5, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Isiah Thomas a NBA Hall of Famer watches as the Toronto Raptors host the Sacramento Kings during the first half at Rogers Arena. The Toronto Raptors won 99-94. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Isiah Thomas, new president of the New York Liberty, insists he is not liable for sexual assault allegations in 2007

James Dolan proved that it is still possible to be baffled by things James Dolan does when he named Isiah Thomas president of the WNBA’s New York Liberty.

You know Isiah Thomas. He was a great basketball player in his day. That continues to be all he has going for him in terms of employment, as he spent years running the Knicks into the ground, making trade after perplexing trade, stockpiling overpaid veterans, and rarely going anywhere near the playoffs.

If that wasn’t enough reason to avoid hiring Thomas to run a basketball team (and it should be), there’s this, which is so much worse: the sexual harassment case against Thomas in 2007, in which it was ruled that Thomas sexually harassed Anucha Browne Sanders, a Madison Square Garden employee, and that Sanders was improperly fired by MSG because of her gender.

This is the man Dolan has hired to run a women’s basketball team.

But before you think that Dolan has finally played his ultimate trump card in the battle royale for world’s worst sports owner, Thomas has something to say about it: he didn’t do it.

Thomas went on ESPN’s Mike and Mike radio show and continued to deny that he was guilty or liable in the sexual harassment case.

“Anyone who’s looked at it… has found that, as the jury found, there were no findings regarding Isiah Thomas,” Thomas said.

Ignore the constant use of varitations of the word “find” and the use of the third person there. Take a look at this New York Times article, from the resolution of the harassment case:

"A jury ruled today that Isiah Thomas, the coach of the New York Knicks, sexually harassed a former team executive and that Madison Square Garden, the owner of the team, improperly fired her for complaining about the unwanted advances."

Sounds pretty definitive. There’s no arguing with that… well, unless you’re Isiah Thomas, who finds no findings of wrongdoing with regards to Isiah Thomas.

Here’s Thomas’ full Mike & Mike interview:

Thomas can insist all he wants that the jury didn’t find him liable. The fact is, the jury said he did it, and there’s nothing he can do to argue that fact.

This hiring is just baffling on so many levels. The combination of sexual harassment plus being bad at the job in question would seem like a resume-killer for most. Not for James Dolan. Maybe next he can hire R. Kelly to coach the team’s youth program.

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