Given his alleged history of making inappropriate comments, I wouldnt be surprised that the NBA didn't somehow help the girlfriend set him up. Then the owners could easily oust him if thats what they desired all along. Has anyone asked, why was a private conversation between two people recorded in the first place? I agree this sets a terrifying precedent in its own right, but it's not anything new.
Baseball long abhorred Marge Schott here in Cincinnati, and could not wait to be rid of her. I had the chance to meet Marge several times, and while I wouldn't personally choose to be her friend under normal circumstances, I had a lot of respect for her. She had ten gallon balls in a mans world. Baseball ultimately kicked her out. I recall the Hitler comments she made. In my opinion they were taken completely out of context, and in response to a direct question from a reporter, Marge was quoted as saying, "Hitler was good in the beginning, but he went too far." What is ALWAYS left off of that statement is the follow up sentence, which was "I mean he was good for Germany when he took over, but it turned out he was crazy." Some would argue thats pretty close to it. Now, I don't know if she was a racist, or an anti-Semite. All of the other controversial comments attributed to her were by former employees of the Reds, and were all hearsay. I do believe she was however not very bright. At all. She did some damn near crazy numbskull things; and my personal experiences with her showed me that not only was she not very smart; bu that she refused to listen to reason or logic at all. But there is no rule that says wealth and brains must go together. But it wasn't long after, that she was out of baseball. A sport where the commissioner himself once stated in reference to both Marge Schott and the widow of Ray Kroc that, "Women really didn't have a place in baseball ownership."
No, I'm afraid the billionaires club had no choice really when it comes to PR; and Sterling basically showed he is an idiot of the highest order. But the "punishment did not fit the crime" IMO.