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Report: Hawks discipline GM Wilcox over insensitive remarks

Scott Cunningham / National Basketball Association / Getty

The Atlanta Hawks have disciplined general manager Wes Wilcox over a racially insensitive joke Wilcox made at an event for season-ticket holders, a team executive told ESPN's Marc J. Spears.

The penalty is undisclosed, but it came days after a report emerged that the NBA would not discipline Wilcox. The same report indicated that the general manager would attend a form of sensitivity counselling.

According to those in attendance at the event, Wilcox, who is white, attempted to calm a group upset with the Hawks' poor play by saying, "You guys may be angry with me, but I'm used to it because I have a black wife and three mixed kids, so I'm used to people being angry and argumentative."

However, Hawks chief diversity officer Nzinga Shaw told ESPN that the quote, first reported by Deadspin, may not have been completely accurate.

"After hearing multiple sides of the story and getting multiple eyewitness accounts of what took place, I am not convinced that what we heard and read in Deadspin is a direct quote that was used," Shaw said. "Wes, however, certainly did make his off-color statement, which included elements of describing his wife's race. People that were in the room could make the assumption that he was using her race for the reason of the comments that followed. We certainly do not approve of this behavior and we are going to handle this manner internally."

The Hawks' front office is no stranger to racially charged controversies. Former co-owner Bruce Levenson and ex-GM Danny Ferry both left the organization after separate incidents in which racially offensive private conversations were leaked.

Hawks president and head coach Mike Budenholzer is the team's de facto GM, with Wilcox reporting to him.

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