Los Angeles Clippers President Andy Roeser has taken an indefinite leave of absence effective immediately, the NBA said Tuesday.
Roeser has been with the team for 25 years. According to his biography on the Clippers website, he is one of the longest tenured executives in the NBA.
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“This will provide an opportunity for a new CEO to begin on a clean slate and for the team to stabilize under difficult circumstances,” Mike Bass, NBA Vice President of communications, said.
Roeser took over day-to-day operations of the team only a week ago in the wake of disgraced owner Donald Sterling’s lifetime ban from the NBA.
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Sterling was banned following racist statements that were recorded and released by TMZ. Roeser came under scrutiny after releasing a statement that seemed to take Sterling’s side after the tapes were initially released.
Roeser isn’t the first domino to fall after Sterling’s racist tapes went public. Los Angeles NAACP president Leon Jenkins resigned last week following increased scrutiny of his branch’s relationship with Sterling, including plans to give him a second lifetime achievement award.