The Dallas Mavericks have fired longtime team photographer and friend of owner Mark Cuban after allegations of sexual misconduct were revealed by a Dallas newspaper. The firing wides the scale of a scandal that has rocked the NBA team and forced Cuban and others in the organization to defend the culture that surrounded the franchise, one that has been especially harsh for women in the workplace.
The Dallas Morning News reported on Sunday that Mavericks marketing employee and team photographer Danny Bollinger was let go by the franchise less than 24 hours after a report detailing allegations against the team photographer appeared in the same paper. Though Bollinger was not mentioned in an initial report about the working conditions and culture inside the Mavericks organization, the Morning News report detailed multiple allegations against Bollinger.
Four former female employees who spoke on the condition of anonymity said team photographer Danny Bollinger has a history of propositioning female co-workers and making lewd comments in the workplace for more than a decade.
Bollinger, 50, has worked in the Mavericks’ marketing department for more than 18 years, spanning Mark Cuban’s ownership. He has the title of publishing manager and has been friends with Cuban since the 1990s.
The organization hesitated to fire Mavericks beat writer Earl K. Sneed after multiple domestic violence allegations, and the overall atmosphere inside the organization was described as “real life Animal House.” Despite hopes that the team’s public image would be repaired after it hired a new CEO and the release of a report about the organization in September.
But the second Morning News report detailed Bollinger’s involvement with the team well after the investigation into workplace wrongdoing, and said Bollinger was only fired once the paper’s initial report was made public.
While the Mavericks investigation was in its early stages, Bollinger accompanied the Mavericks to China for their eight-day, two-exhibition-game trip. But sources said when the investigation yielded evidence of inappropriate behavior, Bollinger was told to return late Thursday.
The (sic) was the same evening in which The News’ story appeared online. Sources said Bollinger was fired upon his return and meeting with some of the Mavericks’ executive leadership on Friday. News of his firing was announced to employees.
It seems like the organization was discovering things about Bollinger at the same time newspaper reporters were, but the timing continues to be curious. Issues like this don’t go away overnight, but the Mavs have been serious about trying to repair their public image. An employee so involved with the team, and so close to Cuban, with these allegations indicates that there’s still a long way to go in Dallas.
