In court papers, Baylor said that Jim Brewer, then an assistant with the Clippers, wanted the chance to interview for the head coaching job after Bill Fitch was dismissed following the 1997-98 season.
“I believe he [Sterling] was a little reluctant at first but I said, ‘We owe him that courtesy.’ So we go there and we sit down and Brewer starts talking about his qualifications, that he believed he could do the job of being the head coach,” Baylor said in court papers.
“And when he finished, Donald said something that was very shocking to me. He said, ‘Personally, I would like to have a white Southern coach coaching poor black players. And I was shocked. And he looked at me and said, ‘Do you think that’s a racist statement?’ I said, ‘Absolutely. That’s plantation mentality.”
...jeez.
Given Sterling's other legal problems I wouldn't be surprised if the allegations were true but if that's the case it raises the question of why Baylor remained with the Clippers for 22 years despite bad move after bad move. He mentions that Sterling never made any racist comments directed towards him but if that's the case, does that mean he was willing to ignore it so long as he was getting a paycheque and now that he's not, it's an issue again? There's no question that comments like that are objectionable if they were made - and again, I wouldn't be too surprised if they were - but why are they only objectionable now?
