February 26, 2018 - 3:06 PM
DALLAS - The Dallas Mavericks have hired former AT&T executive Cynthia Marshall as interim CEO a week after allegations of sexual misconduct against former team president Terdema Ussery in a report that also painted a picture of a wider culture of a hostile workplace for women in the franchise.
Owner Mark Cuban said Monday his mind was made up on hiring Marshall when he was told, "the most devastating day at AT&T was when (Marshall) left."
Marshall was senior vice-president of human resources at AT&T when she took on the additional role of chief diversity officer in 2015. She had more than 30 years of telecommunications experience going back to 1981 with Pacific Bell.
Sports Illustrated reported Ussery made sexually suggestive remarks to several women. He spent 18 years with the team before going to the sports apparel company Under Armour in 2015, a job he left after less than six months.
The SI report said team website reporter Earl Sneed was twice involved in domestic assault cases while working for the Mavericks, including a guilty plea in a case that was dismissed when he met the conditions of the agreement. Sneed and former human resources director Buddy Pittman were fired in the wake of the report.
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