Allegations of a sexual assault by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in 2011 have recently surfaced. Cuban denied the allegations, but the NBA is investigating. Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle vehemently defended Cuban, per Isaac Harris of Mavs.com:
“Very sad. I view that situation as a baseless and journalistically unethical rehashing of a proven non-event. That’s what that is… You ever heard of the term ‘fake news?’ This is the most insidious form.”
This seems… a bit harsh from Carlisle. It’s good practice to side with the alleged victim in cases such as this one. Carlisle is Cuban’s employee, but still, Carlisle could have just said he believes that Cuban didn’t commit the act. Instead, he decided to viciously deny the allegation and bash the organization that reported the story, the Willamette Week.
Carlisle calls the story a “proven non-event.” It is not a proven non-event; in 2011, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office investigated and determined there was insufficient evidence to press charges. That doesn’t make this a “proven non-event,” it makes it an undetermined case.
The allegation against Cuban comes on the heels of a reported (by Sports Illustrated) culture and history of mass sexual assault within the Mavericks organization.