ATLANTA — Atlanta Hawks CEO Steve Koonin wrote an open letter Saturday apologizing to the team, fans and the city of Atlanta.
“Over the course of the last week, the Hawks have let down our players, our employees, our fans and the city we love,” wrote Koonin. “Our shortcomings have been broadly shared – including how we have failed to operate well internally and externally. It has been humbling and, while we have read, seen and come to know many unfortunate things about ourselves, our learnings have just begun.”
The letter was written in response to a racial controversy involving the team's owner and general manager. The letter comes one day after Channel 2 Action News obtained the scouting report that sparked the controversy within the organization.
Koonin admitted in the letter that the ‘shortcomings’ are more than just a single email or person. He said the shortcomings span years and were not dealt with properly.
“We have found that there have been inflammatory words, phrases, inferences and innuendos about race. We as an organization did not correct these failure. We did not do the right thing,” wrote Koonin.
Koonin says he is angry, deeply saddened and embarrassed by the recent news. He said steps will be taken to make sure there is change within the organization.
Koonin says they are working with a diversity consultant to examine and train both the team and the staff. They are also committed to hiring a chief diversity officer and a new owner who will “work to cultivate an inclusive, respected and vibrant fan base.”
He concludes the letter asking fans to continue to support the team and not punish the players for the organization's shortcomings. See a copy of the full letter here.
Friday, the team announced that General Manager Danny Ferry was taking an indefinite leave of absence. Last weekend, owner Bruce Levenson announced he would sell his controlling interest in the team.