SBNation.com - Billy Hunter Invested NBPA Money In Shaky Bank With Ties To Son, According To Reporthttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46737/sbn-fave.png2013-02-16T09:00:02-05:00http://www.sbnation.com/rss/stream/27265552013-02-16T09:00:02-05:002013-02-16T09:00:02-05:00Fire Billy Hunter, but give him due process
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<figcaption>Patrick McDermott</figcaption>
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<p>The NBA players' union is expected to fire Billy Hunter on Saturday. But there's a lot of unnecessary subterfuge marring the process.</p> <p>I understand the desire for tidy resolution, for quick strikes and clean wounds. Derek Fisher, the agents on his side and the bulk of the NBA players' union would like to excise longtime executive director Billy Hunter in the wake of <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/4/20/2962514/derek-fisher-billy-hunter-nba-players-association">a report charging him with something more gross than simple nepotism</a>. An investigation has found that Hunter has used player dues to prop up a failing bank connected to his son, that he did not hold a proper vetting for the extension of his own massive contract and that nepotism plays a role in union hiring and contracting practices. The union also knows that he's a persuasive man who doesn't like to lose. I understand the desire to do this as quickly and quietly as possible. I liken it to <i>Downton Abbey</i>: there's nothing less desirable than to bring further scandal on the house. Allowing Hunter to fight these charges and argue for his job would potentially bring more scandal to the union, especially at the very high-profile All-Star Weekend.</p>
<p>But this is simply not fair. Due process matters.</p>
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<p>In recent days, reports have suggested that Hunter has been barred from attending the union's meeting on Saturday. He's still the executive director, though. One of the blows against him is that the investigators found that he didn't receive proper union approval for his most recent contract. But he did receive some approval -- a few of the player reps were on hand to nod it through. And he's been acting as the union's head from that approval (however it may have happened) until his suspension last month. He did help end the lockout before even half a season was lost, and frankly did well by the union in the end. He has been doing the job, so contract or not, he should be able to attend this meeting until players vote to remove him.</p>
<p>The reasons that he's been barring, according to recent reports? Fisher and the agents are worried his force of personality will change some player reps' minds. To which I reply: you've got to be kidding me. Union politics are politics, only (in my experience) more insular and shadowy. Force of personality is not a threatening trait. Without force of personality, Hunter wouldn't have been able to fight David Stern on a hard cap, on unguaranteed contracts, on a worse revenue split. And now that force of personality forces Hunter away? Give me a break. Like Fisher doesn't have force of personality. Like Arn Tellem doesn't have force of personality. Maybe everyone should just take a few Ambien before the meeting so no one is unduly impressive in their pleading.</p>
<p>The reason Hunter is barred might be because of what happened the last time Hunter had an audience with the top player reps: he convinced them to vote to ask for Fisher's resignation as president of the union. The executive committee voted 8-0 to ask for that resignation. Fisher refused, he pressed on with his investigation and now we're here, ready for a unanimous vote to oust Fisher's adversary. No wonder Fisher wouldn't want Hunter here: he's been beaten -- in a battle, not the war -- by Hunter before.</p>
<p>Nearly as gross as how Hunter is being barred from his own prosecution is the way Maurice Evans, the players' No. 2 rep prior to this season, has been treated. Evans did not sign with a team this year, and so the union booted him from his executive vice president spot. He also happens to be perhaps the only Hunter advocate left. <a target="_blank" href="http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/derek-fisher-billy-hunter-no-upgrade-leading-nba-players-union-coup-021513">Jason Whitlock of FOXSports.com talked to him</a>.</p>
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<p>"Without a doubt, I know me not being in the league has something to do with my support of Billy Hunter," Evans said. "I'm fully comfortable not playing in the NBA ever again."</p>
<p>Evans lives in Houston. [...] Evans said he received a letter from the union on Wednesday warning him that he is not allowed to attend Saturday's union meeting because he's no longer in the league.</p>
<p>"They excommunicated your boy," Evans said. "They took my tickets, took my little status as executive vice president."</p>
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<p>Fisher played a few games for the Mavericks, thus allowing him to retain his leadership spot in the union. Evans claims the short, no-risk contract with Dallas was signed for a reason. I think that's a bad conspiracy theory: the Mavericks have signed a number of hilarious veterans for a few minutes at a time this season (Fisher, Troy Murphy, Mike James). There was no conspiracy to keep Fisher in the league and thus the union, no matter how much owners dislike Hunter. Surely Fisher knew he needed to sign a contract for a short period to retain union power, but the Mavericks signed him in a desperate attempt to stay afloat, not to help Fisher's cause.</p>
<p>And frankly, I'm not convinced Evans has been blacklisted from the NBA. If he could help a team, a team would sign him. GMs and owners are not disciplined enough to blacklist players who are experienced, who are nice guys, who are good teammates and leaders. If someone wanted him and he wanted to play, he'd be in the league.</p>
<p>But there's really no reason other than immense insecurity to bar Evans. If there's a solid case to remove Hunter -- which there appears to be -- having a dissenting voice is not going to matter. Fisher means to squelch the opportunity for debate; a unanimous decision to boot Hunter would make the union looks strong for a change. Yet getting to that point at the cost of open hostility and exclusion of those in dissent makes Fisher and his supporters look weak.</p>
<p>There's nothing that looks more weak in a political setting than insecurity. That's all I see in these exclusionary decisions by Fisher. The post-Hunter era, if that is in fact what we're settling into, does not look to be off to a great start.</p>
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https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/2/16/3994864/nba-players-union-derek-fisher-billy-hunterTom Ziller2013-02-08T12:00:05-05:002013-02-08T12:00:05-05:00NBPA's Hunter responds to audit's allegations
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<p>For the first time, Billy Hunter addressed the allegations against him in the audit.</p> <p>A week ago, NBPA executive director Billy Hunter was suspended indefinitely as a response to a 469-page audit that accused him of multiple instances of wrongdoing. For the first time, Hunter responded to those allegations. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/08/sports/basketball/billy-hunter-and-his-lawyer-take-an-audit-to-task.html?pagewanted=3&_r=0&smid=tw-share" target="_blank">He sat down with The New York Times for 65 minutes on Wednesday</a>.</p>
<p>The players meet on Feb. 16 during All-Star weekend, and Hunter could be fired that day. He is not going down without a fight and is being represented by Thomas R. Ashley, a criminal defense attorney.</p>
<p itemprop="articleBody">On hiring family members and friends:</p>
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<p itemprop="articleBody">Hunter said he had no regrets about employing family members. "The union has not suffered as a consequence of any of that," he said. "Let’s make that point clear. There’s been no detriment suffered by the union. We did not have an anti-nepotism policy in place, so there was nothing unprofessional, unethical about hiring my children."</p>
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<p itemprop="articleBody">On concerns over a $1.3 million payout for unused vacation time:</p>
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<p itemprop="articleBody">"I don’t keep the vacation records," Hunter said. "And they only cite one e-mail." Hunter said he did not keep a personal journal to record his days off, conceding, "That’s been one of my problems."</p>
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<p itemprop="articleBody">On using union funds for gifts, including a $22,000 watch for <span>Derek Fisher</span>:</p>
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<p itemprop="articleBody">Hunter said the purchase of gifts for executive committee members was a tradition that predated his tenure, and that the union’s bylaws allow for some compensation of committee members.</p>
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<p itemprop="articleBody">On spending $28,000 in legal funds for <span>Charles Smith</span>:</p>
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<p itemprop="articleBody">"He asked for assistance, he agreed to repay the money and he did," Hunter said. "It was never a gift. The understanding was always that he would repay the money, and he repaid it."</p>
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<p itemprop="articleBody">On not having a properly ratified contract, meaning the union could fire him without paying the $10.5 million he is owed:</p>
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<p itemprop="articleBody">Hunter and his lawyer disputed the audit’s conclusions and indicated that they would fight to enforce the contract. They conceded that the contract was not ratified by a two-thirds vote of the executive committee and the player representatives. However, they contend that requirement, which is contained in the union bylaws, pertains only to the appointment of a new executive director, not to contract renewals.</p>
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<p itemprop="articleBody">Hunter has served as the executive director of the NBPA since 1996. His current contract expires in 2016.</p>
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https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/2/8/3967738/billy-hunter-nba-players-association-auditDavid Cassilo2013-01-30T09:02:17-05:002013-01-30T09:02:17-05:00Billy Hunter fires relatives from NBPA
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<p>NBA executive director Billy Hunter has fired both his daughter and daughter-in-law from the union in the wake of a published report highlighting his questionable business practices. </p> <p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/1/19/3894364/deron-williams-billy-hunter-nba-players-association">Following a scathing report that criticized his business practices</a>, NBPA executive director Billy Hunter <a target="_blank" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fnba%2F2013%2F01%2F29%2Fbilly-hunter-nba-players-union%2F1875611%2F%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2BUsatodaycomNba-TopStories%2B%2528Sports%2B-%2BNBA%2B-%2BTop%2BStories%2529%26utm_content%3DGoogle%2BReader&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sbnation.com%2Fnba%2F2013%2F1%2F30%2F3932096%2Fbilly-hunter-nba-players-union-relatives-fired" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">fired both his daughter and daughter-in-law from the union</a>.</p>
<p>Hunter penned a letter to the union's special committee of players dated Jan. 23 that Robyn Hunter would be relieved of her duties on Jan. 25. Megan Inaba will remain at her job to help with All-Star festivities before being let go on Feb. 17. The union chief also stated that the NBPA would no longer be working with Prim Capital, the firm that employs his son Todd.</p>
<p>These decisions come less than two weeks after the report filed by the firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP pointed out certain "conflicts of interest" in the NBPA due to Hunter hiring and doing business with family members. The review implicated Hunter of other wrongdoings as well, leading to several players and agents calling for his job.</p>
<p>A decision will likely be made on Hunter's future during the All-Star Break when the NBPA holds its annual meeting.</p>
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https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/1/30/3932096/billy-hunter-nba-players-union-relatives-firedJason Patt2013-01-29T09:42:03-05:002013-01-29T09:42:03-05:00Agent calls for NBAPA prez Billy Hunter's firing
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<p>Arn Tellem, whose agency represents 12 percent of the NBA's players, wrote a letter to his clients suggesting that they fire NBA Players Association president Billy Hunter.</p> <p>Agent Arn Tellem sent his clients a sternly worded letter calling for the removal of NBA Players' Association president Billy Hunter, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times.</p>
<p>Tellem wrote that the players should act to remove Hunter, who has been in charge of the players' union since 1996, a span that has included both lockouts, during which Tellem says Hunter was "tactically, strategically and logistically unprepared:"</p>
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<p itemprop="articleBody">"N.B.A. players deserve better representation from the union they fund," Tellem writes in the letter. "I implore you and your fellow players to take control of your union and your future. It’s time for Mr. Hunter to go."</p>
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<p>Hunter has come under fire after an audit revealed his tenure has featured questionable hiring practices and spending policies, often for his own personal gain. But before Tellem's letter, no agent had come out and explicitly called for Hunter's dismissal.</p>
<p>As Beck writes, Tellem's word has some sway: his agency, the Wasserman Media Group, represents 12 percent of the league's players, the highest of any one group, while three of his personal clients serve as player representatives with the union.</p>
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<p>The union holds an annual meeting every All-Star weekend, giving them their first opportunity to oust Hunter since the release of the audit. The audit also suggested that the players fire Hunter.</p>
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https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/1/29/3928242/billy-hunter-arn-tellem-nbapa-firingRodger Sherman2013-01-19T14:07:33-05:002013-01-19T14:07:33-05:00Deron: 'Change is needed' with NBPA
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<p>In the wake of recent findings against NBPA executive director Billy Hunter, Nets star Deron Williams believes it's time for a change in union leadership. </p> <p>A scathing 469-page report published on Thursday implicating NBPA executive director Billy Hunter of numerous faults has his job on the line. <a href="https://www.netsdaily.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Brooklyn Nets</a> guard <span>Deron Williams</span> became the first big-time player to call for Hunter's dismissal, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/ken-berger/21577852/deron-williams-on-hunter-report-change-is-needed">telling CBS Sports' Ken Berger on Friday night</a> that a change was needed in union leadership:</p>
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<p>"I think change is needed, top to bottom," <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/page/BKN/brooklyn-nets">Nets</a> star <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nba/players/playerpage/555987/deron-williams">Deron Williams</a> told CBSSports.com on Friday night, becoming the league's first high-profile player to call for Hunter's ouster as executive director of the National Basketball Players Association.</p>
<p>"I don't think things were getting voted on like they should have been," Williams said. "... I'm sure there's guys that are still with Billy, and some guys that aren't. We've just got to figure out what the next step is."</p>
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<p>The report, put together by an independent law firm, looked deep into the union's finances and their business practices under Hunter. While the report did not find Hunter criminally liable, it pointed out numerous wrongdoings that could cost the union chief his job. These include, among other things, "questionable stewardship of union finances" and "a failure to properly manage conflicts of interest." Hunter often created those conflicts of interest by hiring and doing business with family members.</p>
<p>The law firm also found that Hunter's 2010 contract extension was never voted on by the 30 player representatives, a violation of the union's constitution and bylaws. The report did not specifically suggest that Hunter should be relieved of his duties, but said there are legal grounds to do so because the $18 million contract was not properly approved. If this was to be done, the report says action should be taken quickly and a decision made by the All-Star break.</p>
<p>These latest findings only solidify the feelings of some players and agents who were not happy with Hunter's leadership during last season's lockout. Williams said he sat in on several of the negotiating sessions and did not like how they were handled, lamenting a lack of aggression which ultimately helped lead to the shortened 66-game season.</p>
<p>The players have about five weeks left until the break, so they do not have all that much time to get organized and get their facts straight. Who knows how many players will actually read the report, but as long as the player reps get their act together, an informed decision should be made.</p>
https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/1/19/3894364/deron-williams-billy-hunter-nba-players-associationJason Patt2012-04-27T15:22:44-04:002012-04-27T15:22:44-04:00NBA Players Association Under Investigation By U.S. Attorney's Office
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<p>NBA Players Association is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-27/nba-players-union-under-investigation-by-u-s-attorney-s-office.html" target="_blank">the union recently said in a statement</a>. According to sources close to the situation speaking to Bloomberg under conditions of anonymity, union executive director Billy Hunter was served with a subpoena on Wednesday notifying him of the investigation.</p>
<p>Hunter has come under heavy fire recently stemming from allegations by union president <span>Derek Fisher</span> accusing Hunter of nepotism. A <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/4/25/2975084/billy-hunter-nba-players-association/in/2726555">Yahoo! Sports investigation</a> recently revealed that Fisher's claims may be well-founded. Hunter reportedly asked the NBPA to invest millions into a bank where his son, Todd, sat on the board of directors. The report also showed a history of hiring, and generously compensating, several family members for various jobs.</p>
<p>The NBPA has reportedly appointed a six-member committee to oversee an internal inquiry that will include a financial audit. In the statement, the union emphasized that "the NBPA will cooperate fully with the government's investigation."</p>
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https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/4/27/2981283/nba-players-association-investigationLouis Bien2012-04-25T16:42:52-04:002012-04-25T16:42:52-04:00Billy Hunter Asked NBPA To Invest In Bank With Ties To His Son, According To Report
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<p>A key allegation in the power struggle at between NBPA Executive Director Billy Hunter and President <span>Derek Fisher</span> was that Fisher had<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/4/24/2971108/nba-players-union-billy-hunter-nepotism/in/2726555"> allegedly accused Hunter of nepotism</a>. A <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--nbpa-executive-director-billy-hunter-sought-union-investment-for-bank-with-ties-to-son.html">Yahoo! Sports investigation</a> by Adrian Wojnarowski and Rand Getlin reveals that Fisher's allegations hold water.</p>
<p>The article reveals a variety of somewhat shady - and, to be honest, damning - dealings by Hunter. The most egregious is probably Hunter's alleged attempt to convince the NBPA to invest $7-to-9 million in a bank where his son, Todd, was on the board of directors and owned stock.</p>
<p>In addition, there's the fact that the NBPA twice retained the legal services of law firms where his daughter, Alexis Hunter, worked. And then there's the fact that an additional daugher, Robyn, and a daughter-in-law, Megan Ibana, have senior staff positions with the NBPA.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the article highlights how well Hunter is compensated in comparison to other player union heads: Hunter made over $13 million from 2006-2011, while the rest of the 30-plus employee union earned a little under $16 million:</p>
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<div class="body">As NBA players lost $400 million in salary during last summer's lockout – and $3 billion over the course of the new 10-year collective bargaining agreement – Billy Hunter, his family and the entities that employed them made approximately $3,430,953 from July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2011, according to labor filings.</div>
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<p>Hunter insisted to the New York Times that nothing he did was illegal. That might be true - the NBPA doesn't have a clause against nepotism - but it certainly seems as if he favored his family in seemingly unethical ways. If all of this is true, Hunter is in some trouble.</p>
<p>Really thorough reporting by Wojnarowski and Getlin - the Fisher-Hunter story appears to have more behind it than a simple clash between egos. The article details how then-union treasurer <span>Pat Garrity</span> brought up similar allegations to the ones Fisher has made in 2009 after discovering some of these details, and was promptly forced out of the player's union, much as the union is currently attempting to do with Fisher.</p>
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https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/4/25/2975084/billy-hunter-nba-players-associationRodger Sherman2012-04-24T08:01:31-04:002012-04-24T08:01:31-04:00Nepotism A Concern In NBA Players' Union Power Struggle
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<p>The NBA players' union's mess, pitting player against player, continues to unfold. One of the concerns National Basketball Players Association president <span>Derek Fisher</span> has with executive director Billy Hunter's leadership of the union is perceived nepotism, <a target="_blank" href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/sam_amick/04/21/fisher/index.html?xid=sbnation">according to Sam Amick of SI.com</a>. Fisher, who has been asked to resign by the other eight members of the executive committee, has sought an independent audit and business review of Hunter's leadership.</p>
<p>Spurring that drive is the belief that Hunter has hired employees based more on their bloodlines than their talent. Amick reports that Hunter's daughter and daughter-in-law are both on the NBPA payroll, earning a combined $250,000 over the 2010-11 fiscal year, according to documents filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. The union also contracted with firms -- an investment firm and a law firm -- who employ Hunter's son and another daughter.</p>
<p>Hunter has said that audits of the union have turned up no concerns in the past.</p>
https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/4/24/2971108/nba-players-union-billy-hunter-nepotismTom Ziller