Discipline for Blake Griff in?
Clippers owner says of the Griffin situation that ‘ there need to be consequences.’
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer says the AllStar forward should face “consequences” for f ighting.
Frank McCourt had a psychic on his payroll while driving the Dodgers into bankruptcy. Stan Kasten and his Chicago- based financiers agreed to a broadcasting deal that removed Vin Scully from most of our television sets. Arte Moreno signed a drug addict before coming to the shocking realization that the player was a drug addict.
So it would be only a matter of time before Steve Ballmer did something to indicate he was as out of touch as these other team owners, right? Maybe not. In his first interview since Blake Griffin punched out the team’s assistant equipment manager, the Clippers owner sounded as if he was prepared to discipline his All- Star forward.
Asked Wednesday night if he felt it necessary for the Clippers to take the kind of action that would represent what they stand for, Ballmer didn’t hesitate.
“There need to be conse-
quences,” he said. “It’s the right thing to do.”
Citing a team investigation into the incident that resulted in a broken right hand for Griffin, Ballmer didn’t offer any details, so it’s not known whether the Clippers might add to whatever punishment the Kia pitchman receives from the NBA. Still, Ballmer made it clear that employee- on-employee violence would not be tolerated.
If his actions back his words, good for him.
It shouldn’t be surprising when the owner of a professional sports team says or does something sensible, but it is. Too much exposure to the Dodgers. Remember, in the wake of Manny Ramirez’s drug suspension in 2009, McCourt said he would like to see the disgraced outfielder play in baseball’s All- Star game.
“It’d be a great honor,” McCourt said at the time.
Ballmer was measured when speaking of Griffin, condemning the player’s actions without tossing him under the proverbial bus.
“Just remember, Blake is a key part of his team,” Ballmer said.
At this moment, the courtside goofball in Ballmer emerged, as he extended his arms to mimic an embrace.
“We will welcome him back,” he said with a smile as broad as his shoulders.
This is something of a new experience for Ballmer. As the chief executive of Microsoft, he said, there were times when key employees underperformed as a result of doing something stupid.
However, he conceded, “We didn’t ever have a situation quite like this.”
Ballmer continued, “You know, everyone’s going to heal, and we’re going to have an opportunity to move forward. We’re going to finish our investigation, decide what needs to happen and move forward. Blake’s a key part of our team. There’s no question about that.
“He certainly has been remorseful, which is great, and we’ll find a way to move past it. That’s part of life. An important part of life is learning how to have consequences.”