NY- The NBA likely will launch a probe into allegations that Knicks President Isiah Thomas conspired to get opposing players drunk the night before games, sources told the Daily News.
The allegations, contained in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former Knicks Senior Vice President Anucha Browne Sanders, could be viewed as tampering - if Thomas had contact with opposing players.
Browne Sanders accused Thomas of working with concierges at hotels frequented by visiting teams to encourage opposing players to go to certain bars and strip clubs and get drunk the night before a day game.
An NBA spokesman said yesterday that the league is "monitoring the entire situation." But one league source said that while Thomas' alleged actions "seem highly unusual," they will probably be investigated. A Knicks spokesman said the team had no comment.
While the charges may seem insignificant, the NBA is very sensitive about the kinds of clubs its players frequent during their trips to New York and other major cities. Several years ago, the league endured a major scandal involving several prominent players, including the Knicks' Patrick Ewing, and strippers in the Gold Club in Atlanta.
Lonnie Hanover, a spokesman for Scores, wouldn't confirm if visiting players came to the East Side strip club mecca, saying only, "Athletes from every major sport love strip clubs, and you know where they go."
Teams found guilty of tampering are normally fined, with the amounts based on the severity of the infraction. In extreme cases of tampering, teams have even lost draft picks. "Who knows if there's anything really there," said one source.
Several general managers doubted Browne Sanders' accusations, because most players already know where to go for fun when they come to New York.
"I can't see Isiah being brazen enough to put his career in jeopardy," said an Eastern Conference executive. "We all know that there are serious consequences for tampering."
