Does the ruling damage the image of the NBA?
MIKE BRUTON: I don’t think it damages the NBA’s opinion that much because, in all fairness to the commissioner, I believe that his decision to do this was based more probably on the image of the league and how the public will look at the league than it was fairness. Now, even though the arbitrator, John Ferick, did not uphold the one-year suspension, Stern still is still seen as a man who stood up for discipline. And I don’t think it will hurt the league at all. PHIL PONCE: Mike Bruton, to follow up on what you just said, is part of your observation about the league’s concern with image, does that have a racial dimension, in your viewpoint? MIKE BRUTON: Yes, I do believe it has a racial component. When Stern took over, I believe it was the late 70’s, if not early 80’s. The NBA was suffering a very, very bad image problem. You had a league which I think then was about 70 to 75 percent black. The perception was that there was rampant drug use and other criminal activity in the league, an
