Steve Ballmer breaks silence of Clippers salary-cap circumvention penalties

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, in the wake of the NBA punishing his franchise for circumventing the league’s salary cap by “initiating off-court income opportunities” for star forward Kawhi Leonard, said he has “sincere regrets” and apologized to fans as part of a lengthy statement he issued Sunday night.“This has been a very difficult time for everybody associated with the Clippers, and for that, I have sincere regrets.I want to apologize to our fans, employees, and my fellow NBA team owners for the distraction and distress this matter has caused, for which I accept responsibility as principal owner.”The NBA’s independent investigation, which was conducted by the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, found a “pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers organization, a prior offender of the salary cap circumvention rules,” per the league’s statement on Sept.

2The league dropped staggering punishments on the Clippers, fining the franchise $30 million, suspending for one year and stripping the franchise of five first-round draft picks.President of business operations Gillian Zucker (one year) and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank (six months) were also suspended for their roles in the scandal.“We are committing to put this chapter behind us,” Ballmer’s statement continued.“We have communicated to the NBA that we are complying with the penalties assessed by the league, have paid the fine, and are moving forward.

While there are still disagreements concerning the findings in the report, this is not where I want to focus. “Team owners should support, not distract.The challenges ahead of us are significant, but so is our resolve.

We will continue to build our team and invest in our community.The confidence of our fans is our prior-ity.

With our talented roster, outstanding staff and clear vision, I am certain that we will compete at the highest level and be an organization ou...