The Language of the Isiah Thomas Trial

David Segal of the Washington Post has an excellent piece today on the Isiah Thomas sexual harassment trial ("Knicks Coach Isiah Thomas Takes Center Stage," Sept. 27, 2007; Page C01).

I was interviewed by Segal for the story, which examines the nature and styles of language found in the trial.

Here is an excerpt from Segal's piece:

With Zen-like serenity and a choirboy's smile, former basketball star and current New York Knicks coach and President Isiah Thomas took the stand Wednesday in a sexual harassment suit filed by a former employee, giving him the chance to share a few thoughts on some choice words. For instance: "I don't think it's appropriate for any man -- black, white, green or purple -- to call a woman a bitch."

As for the blunt four-letter verb often used for sexual congress, by all means, that's in his vocabulary, he testified. But the 46-year-old Thomas said he never swears at employees, and he certainly never swore at Anucha Browne Sanders, the Knicks' onetime senior vice president for marketing, who filed a $9.6 million suit against Thomas and was fired last year by the team's owner. She has alleged that, in addition to hurling these vulgarities her way, Thomas made unwanted advances, including a profession of love and an invitation to "go off-site." She seeks reinstatement to her job, which paid as much as $260,000 annually.

This is the third week of the civil trial, which has been so bleeping full of bleep words, not to mention tawdry behavior -- including that tired old chestnut of corporate misdeeds, sex with an intern -- that the transcript ought to come with a parental warning sticker. For the NBA, which is still coping with the scandal of a referee who bet on games, the timing is lousy. Commissioner David Stern has diplomatically refused to comment, but with the case producing tabloid headlines such as "Oh, Those Slithery Snakes in the Garden," it's surely adding to his agita.

Segal asked me what I thought David Stern's reaction would be to Thomas being found civilly liable:

Stern will "be outraged if we end up with a finding of sexual harassment," says Michael McCann, a sports law professor at Mississippi College School of Law. "He's been trying in recent years to regulate the maturity level of the league -- with a dress code, with an age eligibility requirement for the draft -- and maybe that maturity level will have to extend beyond the locker room."

For the rest of the story, click here.

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