Tag: Integrity

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The NBA Betting Scandal, Part 5: Rebuilding Trust – The NBA’s Path Toward Integrity

In the span of a single week, the NBA went from celebrating another record-breaking season-opening week to confronting its deepest crisis of credibility since the Tim Donaghy officiating scandal. A federal indictment has now tied active players, a head coach, and organized crime figures to a sprawling gambling conspiracy. For a league that spent the past decade embracing sports betting as part of its commercial strategy, this is no longer a public relations problem. It is an existential one. And that means one thing: Adam Silver must now govern like a compliance officer, not a marketer.

The Commissioner’s Crossroads

Adam Silver’s leadership has always been defined by calm rationality and consensus-building, the antithesis of David Stern’s authoritarian decisiveness. That style worked well during the NBA’s globalization boom and its progressive cultural era. But this moment demands something different: urgency, accountability, and structural reform. The NYT reported that the NBA has begun a review of its policies and procedures, which were clearly inadequate for the situation.

Eric Koreen, writing in  The Athletic, said, Silver faces ‘the league’s biggest credibility issue in at least two decades”. His challenge is to walk a tightrope between patience and justice, acting decisively without overreaching, restoring trust without alienating players and owners. The league’s relationship with gambling partners, its governance model, and its disciplinary framework are all now under scrutiny.

The key question: Can Adam Silver act as both steward of the game and enforcer of its ethics?

1. Recognize the Scope of the Problem

Silver’s first task is to stop treating the scandal as a series of isolated events. As Nate Silver noted in Silver Bulletin, the vulnerabilities are structural; “the NBA is particularly susceptible to cheating based on inside knowledge of player availability”. Prop bets, load management, and tanking have created a shadow economy of insider information that blends seamlessly into the legalized betting marketplace.

This is not just about Terry Rozier’s “fake injury” game or Chauncey Billups’ alleged poker ring. It’s about a league whose financial ecosystem and culture have become dependent on gambling exposure. It’s about the business model itself. Compliance professionals will recognize this dynamic: when the core of your revenue strategy intersects with the core of your risk profile, you do not have a program problem, you have a governance problem.

2. Strengthen Information Governance

This crisis is about information. The NBA’s integrity crisis began with a failure to manage information effectively. Player availability, injury reports, and lineup changes are now tradeable assets in the betting marketplace. As Nate Silver observed, even minor leaks about “who’s actually playing” can swing point spreads by eight or more points. That’s the equivalent of non-public material information in the securities world. In corporate terms, this is MNPI, Material Non-Public Information, and it must be treated with the same rigor as insider trading data. Here are some steps the NBA must implement:

  • Tightened disclosure protocols: Require that injury and lineup information be filed within one hour of a team’s decision, with fines for noncompliance.
  • Digital access controls: Limit and log who within each team can access confidential player data.
  • Independent data audits: Just as SOX audits test financial controls, the NBA needs integrity audits on injury disclosure and betting irregularities.

The league must establish a compliance-grade information governance system, not a PR-based injury reporting mechanism.

3. Redefine the League’s Relationship with Sportsbooks

Silver’s visionary 2014 op-ed in The New York Times helped legalize sports betting in the U.S. But that success has come full circle. The NBA is now “inextricably tied to the alleged behavior,” as Koreen bluntly put it. To restore credibility, Silver must impose a firewall between integrity and revenue, similar to how compliance departments maintain independence from sales in regulated industries. Specific steps include:

  • Eliminating player-specific prop bets, which even industry insiders like Nate Silver identify as “inherently more subject to manipulation”.
  • Revising sponsorship structures, ensuring that betting companies can’t advertise on game broadcasts while the league investigates integrity risks.
  • Creating a Gambling Integrity Council, comprising league officials, compliance experts, and independent regulators, to review data-sharing protocols and monitor suspicious patterns.

Suppose the NBA continues to profit from gambling partnerships while claiming to protect the game’s purity. In that case, it risks the same credibility collapse that befell financial institutions during the 2008 crisis, when compliance was reported to serve profit.

4. Rebuild the Culture of Integrity

At its core, this scandal is not about technology or regulation; rather, it is about culture. The NBA’s locker room culture, as Danny Chau argued in The Ringer, was shaped by “a league that has normalized the gambling impulse under the guise of fan engagement”. Players now live in a universe where betting odds appear on broadcast screens, team apps link directly to sportsbooks, and performance data doubles as betting fodder.

To change this, the NBA must embed compliance education into player development from day one. Rookie orientation should include mandatory integrity training that covers gambling ethics, data confidentiality, and behavioral risks, just as financial firms train new analysts on insider trading.

Moreover, players need a Speak-Up Culture. The league should expand its anonymous hotline system into a comprehensive integrity platform, enabling players, staff, and referees to report suspicious betting behavior confidentially and without fear of retaliation. In compliance terms, culture eats code for breakfast. If the NBA wants to protect the game, it must rebuild a culture that values integrity as much as it values victory.

5. Reform Enforcement and Transparency

Silver now faces his “David Stern moment.” In 2007, Stern responded to the Tim Donaghy scandal with swift discipline, public accountability, and systemic change. Silver’s reputation for diplomacy is an asset in negotiations, but in enforcement, it can look like hesitation.

As Koreen noted, “Silver’s judicious nature has helped put the NBA in a strong financial position… but those were straightforward issues with simple moralities”. This one isn’t. This is about the soul of the league. To restore trust, the NBA should commit to:

  • Independent oversight of the investigation, not internal review.
  • Public disciplinary reports that detail findings and remediation steps.
  • Lifetime bans for proven offenders and mandatory ethics rehabilitation programs for lesser infractions.
  • Annual integrity reports, modeled after corporate sustainability or compliance reports, detail investigations, resolutions, and reforms.

Transparency is not weakness; it is the foundation of credibility. Fans don’t need perfection; they need proof that accountability exists.

6. The Compliance Parallel: Learning from Corporate Scandals

The NBA’s predicament mirrors what compliance officers saw after Enron, Wells Fargo, and Boeing: systems designed for performance became blind to integrity. The fix wasn’t more PR; it was embedding ethics into governance. What Silver must build now is not a crisis response team but an Integrity Management System:

  • A structure where compliance is independent.
  • A tone at the top that puts ethics before revenue.
  • A culture that values truth-telling more than brand protection.

The NBA can learn from the financial industry’s compliance architecture post-SOX and Dodd-Frank: independent monitoring, whistleblower protection, and transparency are not burdens; they are safeguards.

7. Restoring the Social License

Beyond regulation and enforcement, Silver must focus on what corporate governance experts refer to as the “social license to operate.” Sports leagues, like corporations, depend on public trust for legitimacy. As Koreen warned, “If people don’t believe your games are fair and your teams are playing by the same rules, then you don’t have much of a league at all”.

That’s the ethical horizon Silver must navigate. Rebuilding trust will take years, but it begins now, with decisive, integrity-centered leadership. The next time fans see an NBA injury update or a sportsbook advertisement, they shouldn’t wonder if the league is complicit in the gamble. They should believe, without hesitation, that the NBA is protecting the game.

Final Thought: Betting on Integrity

The NBA’s crisis is not just a gambling story; it’s a mirror held up to every organization that prioritizes engagement over ethics. For compliance professionals, the message is universal:

Integrity isn’t a cost center. It’s the scoreboard that determines whether your enterprise survives.

If Adam Silver can pivot from expansion to ethics from betting on growth to betting on trust, he will not simply save the league’s reputation. He will redefine what compliance leadership looks like in modern sports. Because in the end, the only wager worth making is on integrity itself.

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Blog

The NBA Betting Scandal: Integrity Under Fire: Part 1 – Introduction

In the world of professional basketball, few things cut deeper than a betrayal of trust. Fans expect grit, competition, and authenticity, not a rigged game. Yet last week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed an Indictment that shook the National Basketball Association (NBA) to its core. Current and former NBA players, along with several associates, stand accused of running an insider-betting ring built on confidential medical and lineup information.

For compliance professionals, this is more than a sports story. It is a real-time case study in integrity risk, insider information abuse, and governance failure. It also demonstrates how arrogance, blindness, and even incompetence can blindside any organization. Over the next several blog posts, I will take a deep dive into not only who was involved and what they did, but also how the same ethical breakdowns that can corrupt a corporate organization found their way into America’s most celebrated sports league. (I am not sure how many posts I will have on this series.) Today, in Part 1, we introduce the players and allegations.

The Conspiracy

The indictment, unsealed in the Eastern District of New York, reads like the playbook of a financial fraud operation dressed up in jerseys. The six defendants. They include Eric Earnest, Marves Fairley, Shane Hennen, Damon Jones, Deniro Laster, and Terry Rozier, who are all charged with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.

The scheme allegedly unfolded between December 2022 and March 2024, when the group exploited non-public NBA injury and lineup information to place fraudulent bets worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. They allegedly received insider tips directly from players and coaches, including Rozier and Jones, and then laundered the illicit profits through a web of intermediaries.

U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. stated in the DOJ Press Release on the Indictment, “As alleged, the defendants turned professional basketball into a criminal betting operation, using private locker rooms and medical information to enrich themselves and cheat legitimate sportsbooks. This was a sophisticated conspiracy involving athletes, coaches, and intermediaries who exploited confidential information for profit.  Insider betting schemes erode the integrity of American sports, and this Office will continue in its strong tradition of holding accountable anyone who seeks to corrupt sports through illegal means.”

The Defendants — and Their Roles

Terry Rozier — “Scary Terry” Turns Scandalous

Known for his explosive play as a guard for the Charlotte Hornets, Rozier allegedly tipped off longtime friend Deniro Laster that he would exit a March 23, 2023, game early due to a “purported injury.” According to the indictment, Rozier gave this information specifically so that Laster could place bets on Rozier’s “under” stats, predicting he would underperform.

Laster, Fairley, and others allegedly bet over $200,000 on the game using this insider knowledge. When Rozier exited after only nine minutes, the bets paid off handsomely. Laster then drove through the night to Rozier’s house, where they reportedly counted the profits together.

Damon Jones — From Coach to Co-Conspirator

Once a respected NBA player and later coach, Damon “D Jones” Jones allegedly became a hub for insider information. Prosecutors claim that on several occasions, Jones shared or sold confidential lineup and medical details, particularly concerning the Los Angeles Lakers,  to his co-conspirators. Two key examples cited occurred on February 9, 2023, and January 15, 2024, when Jones allegedly provided early medical information about Lakers star players, allowing others to place lucrative wagers before the news became public. For a league that prides itself on data transparency and player health disclosures, this allegation strikes at the heart of data governance,  an issue that corporate compliance officers know all too well.

Eric Earnest — The Middleman with a Coach’s Ear

At 53, Eric “Spook” Earnest was no athlete, but he allegedly wielded powerful connections. In one cited incident, Earnest received insider information from a friend, an NBA coach, who alerted him that several Portland Trail Blazers starters would sit out a March 24, 2023, matchup against the Chicago Bulls. Before that information went public, Fairley and his associates wagered over $100,000 against the Blazers. When the lineup was confirmed, the betting lines shifted dramatically, and the conspirators’ early bets cashed in.

Marves Fairley — The Fixer

Operating under nicknames like “Vezino” and “Vezino Locks,” Marves Fairley allegedly acted as both a bettor and a connector. He is accused of placing bets using information from multiple inside sources, including players with the Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors. On April 6, 2023, Fairley allegedly used information from an Orlando Magic player to learn that several top teammates would sit out a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Fairley bet approximately $11,000 on the Cavaliers to cover the spread, and when the Cavs won by 24, he pocketed the winnings.

Deniro Laster — The Courier

At age 30, Deniro “Niro” Laster allegedly served as a courier, moving cash, distributing tips, and laundering proceeds. He was reportedly Rozier’s point of contact in the infamous March 23 Hornets game and allegedly helped convert illicit betting profits into cash payments.

Shane Hennen — The Straw Bettor

Finally, Shane “Sugar” Hennen allegedly helped conceal the betting activity by using a network of straw bettors, placing wagers under different names to evade sportsbook compliance checks. He reportedly received inside information not only from Rozier and Jones, but also via secondary intermediaries, including Long Phi Pham, a previously convicted co-conspirator tied to former Raptors player Jontay Porter.

The Porter Connection: A Prequel to the Scandal

While not a named defendant in this indictment, Jontay Porter, formerly of the Toronto Raptors, looms large in the background. Porter had already pleaded guilty earlier in 2025 for his role in a similar insider-betting scheme, one that the DOJ now says was part of the same web of corruption. Porter allegedly told co-conspirators that he would intentionally leave games early due to “injuries,” allowing others to place bets on his underperformance. Those fraudulent bets paid out when he exited games on January 26 and March 20, 2024.

For compliance professionals, Porter’s earlier conviction was the canary in the coal mine, a warning that insider collusion in sports betting wasn’t a one-off anomaly. It was systemic risk spreading through the ecosystem.

Final Thoughts

As FBI Director Kash Patel noted in the DOJ Press Release, “Using private information and positions of power to rig sports gambling outcomes is not only illegal, but destroys the integrity of the game.” His words echo across industries: wherever inside access can be monetized, the temptation exists, and so does the compliance risk.

For the NBA, this scandal demands a hard reset. It is not enough to suspend players or ban bettors. The league must now confront questions about compliance governance, data ethics, and the duty of care owed by players and coaches as fiduciaries of the sport’s reputation.

For now, the facts are clear: between 2022 and 2024, a small group of insiders treated NBA injury reports as market-moving data. They manipulated outcomes, corrupted competition, and, in doing so, jeopardized the public’s faith in one of America’s most beloved institutions.

The DOJ’s prosecution is not just about punishing individuals. It is about protecting integrity as a public asset. For compliance professionals, that principle transcends industries. Whether you work in finance, healthcare, energy, or sports, the message is the same:

Integrity is the game. And if you cheat it, you lose.

Join us tomorrow as we consider how insider betting parallels insider trading.

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Blog

The First Line of Defense: How Smarter Hiring Strengthens Compliance Programs

I have long advocated that your ethics and compliance program should be embedded directly into your hiring process. However, let me be even more succinct: compliance begins with the hiring process. A recent article in the Sloan Management Review, by William Reed, entitled “Ten Expert Tips for Smarter Hiring,” reviewed the hiring process and noted that “Each hiring decision shapes not only who joins your team but also how your company defines itself .” This means that every employee you bring on shapes not just the culture but also the risk profile of your organization. The flip side is that a single poor hiring choice can have a lasting impact on a business for years, while a strong hire can reinforce integrity and resilience.

For compliance professionals, the hiring process is more than a human resources function. It is a frontline defense against misconduct, reputational damage, and regulatory scrutiny. This makes the “Ten Expert Tips for Smarter Hiring” directly relevant for us. I have adapted this article through a compliance lens to determine lessons we can apply to building a workforce that supports ethics, integrity, and accountability.

1. Ask the Right Questions: Digging Past the Facade

Candidates often arrive at interviews with polished, even AI-generated, answers. The key is not just asking what they have done, but probing how and why they did it. Questions designed to elicit authentic responses, what Harris calls “bank-shot” questions, reveal traits like self-awareness, accountability, and judgment. In compliance-sensitive roles such as procurement, finance, or third-party management, probing questions can help determine whether a candidate dares to speak up, navigate ethical dilemmas, and handle pressure effectively. Hiring managers should coordinate with compliance to build integrity-related questions into interviews.

2. Probe for Substance, Not Scripts

It is not enough for candidates to recite processes. Follow-up questions should push them to explain reasoning, trade-offs, and lessons learned. This exposes whether the candidate has merely memorized best practices or internalized critical thinking. The DOJ consistently emphasizes the importance of judgment and decision-making. This is a key theme of the 2024 Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs (2024 ECCP). Compliance officers can coach hiring teams to listen for signs of genuine ethical reasoning rather than canned responses.

3. Character Over Competence

Competence can be trained; character is more complex to teach. Research cited in the article emphasizes that while technical skills vary, core attributes such as honesty, resilience, and fairness are universal and should be given significant weight in hiring decisions. Compliance programs thrive in cultures of integrity. Hiring for character builds the foundation for a speak-up culture, ethical decision-making, and long-term trust. Compliance should partner with HR to design behavioral interview questions that test for integrity and moral alignment.

4. Highlight Meaningful Work

Top candidates want more than compensation; they want purpose. Cues from the recruiting process, as well as stories of meaningful work and culture, affect not just acceptance decisions but also long-term engagement. Compliance professionals can play a role in branding the organization as a place where doing the right thing is valued. When candidates see integrity celebrated, it strengthens your ethical brand and attracts talent that aligns with your compliance values.

5. Employer Branding as a Compliance Asset

Strong employer branding is not simply about market competitiveness. It communicates the company’s identity and priorities. A well-articulated employer brand can establish expectations for ethical conduct and compliance from the outset. Compliance messaging should be embedded in employer branding. For example, highlight your whistleblower program as a sign of transparency and fairness. Utilize recruitment materials to convey that ethical leadership is integral to the company’s culture.

6. Autonomy and Accountability

Flatter hierarchies and broader spans of control mean employees must self-manage more. The right employees thrive in autonomy, while others struggle to do so. With increased autonomy comes increased risk. Compliance should ensure that hiring processes screen for accountability and conscientiousness. Self-directed employees must be able to manage risks without constant oversight.

7. Don’t Overlook Internal Talent

Internal lateral moves can unlock untapped potential. They often produce better long-term outcomes because employees already understand the company’s values and systems. Promoting internal talent not only saves costs but also rewards employees who have demonstrated a commitment to compliance with company policies and culture. It signals that integrity and alignment with values are valued, thereby strengthening the culture.

8. Beware Over-Reliance on Vendor Tools

Pre-packaged talent management software may simplify hiring, but it risks overlooking the nuances of your organizational needs. Just as with third-party risk, outsourcing too much of hiring to generic tools can create blind spots. Compliance officers should advocate for custom criteria that reflect ethical considerations, industry-specific risks, and regulatory obligations.

9. Skills-Based Hiring Requires Culture Change

Skills-based hiring is valuable, but it is not a quick fix. It requires cultural change and consistency across hiring, promotion, and retention practices. The same applies to compliance. Hiring for skills like ethical reasoning, critical thinking, and cultural competence must be reinforced through training, promotion decisions, and leadership modeling. Otherwise, skills-based hiring risks being performative.

10. Deploy Your Best Interviewers

Data shows that some interviewers are consistently better at identifying strong hires. Yet few organizations systematically identify and deploy these interviewers. Compliance professionals should advocate for training interviewers to recognize the red flags of unethical behavior. Identifying your “compliance-savvy interviewers” and deploying them in critical hiring processes strengthens your ability to hire ethically aligned candidates.

Final Thoughts

Hiring is not just about filling positions; it is about shaping culture, building resilience, and protecting the enterprise. For compliance professionals, more innovative hiring means embedding compliance into the very first step of the employee lifecycle.

Harris tips provide a roadmap: ask the right questions, probe for substance, hire for character, highlight meaningful work, strengthen employer branding, embrace autonomy responsibly, value internal talent, customize tools, make cultural shifts for skills-based hiring, and deploy your best interviewers. When compliance is part of the hiring process, you don’t simply acquire talent; you utilize the entire process to help build a culture of integrity. That is the ultimate compliance win.

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Business Integrity Innovations

Business Integrity Innovations: Building a Corruption – Free Zimbabwe: Doris Kumbawa’s Vision

Business Integrity Innovations is brought to you by the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and the Compliance Podcast Network (CPN). This podcast is inspired by Ethics 1st, a multi-stakeholder initiative led by CIPE that creates pathways for accountable and sustainable investment in Africa. Companies can use Ethics 1st to standardize their business practices, develop sound corporate governance systems, and demonstrate their commitment to compliance and business ethics.

In this episode of Business Integrity Innovations, hosts Tom Fox and Michele Crymes welcome Doris Kumbawa, CEO and Founder of Ethics 360, and the CIPE country representative for Zimbabwe. Doris shares her professional journey and Ethics 360’s crucial role in promoting business integrity and anti-corruption compliance training. She elaborates on the challenges faced by the informal economy in Zimbabwe and the significant impact this economy has, especially on women.

Doris discusses the collaborative efforts to formalize informal economy associations and reduce corruption through stakeholder engagement and effective policy recommendations. She also highlights the influence of Ethics 1st, a tech-based platform helping businesses transition towards ethical practices, and her work with organizations like Transparency International and the Environment Social Governance Network of Zimbabwe to promote ethical governance and compliance. This episode provides deep insights into grassroots efforts to combat corruption and foster a culture of ethics and integrity in business.

Key highlights:

  • Understanding Zimbabwe’s Informal Economy
  • Ethics 360 and Anti-Corruption Efforts
  • Impact of Ethics First on Small Businesses
  • Collaborations and Training Initiatives
  • Future Vision for Zimbabwe’s Compliance and Ethics

Resources:

Doris Kumbawa on LinkedIn

Ethics 360 on LinkedIn

CIPE

CIPE

Ethics 1st

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Business Integrity Innovations

Business Integrity Innovations: Championing Integrity – Samia Tnani on Driving SME Growth Through Ethical Governance

The Compliance Podcast Network (CPN) and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) are bringing you Business Integrity Innovations. This podcast is inspired by Ethics 1st, a multi-stakeholder initiative led by CIPE that creates pathways for accountable and sustainable investment in Africa. Companies can use Ethics 1st to standardize their business practices, develop sound corporate governance systems, and demonstrate their commitment to compliance and business ethics.

In this episode, Tom Fox and Michele Crymes visit with Samia Tnani. Samia is a distinguished finance professional specializing in banking and impact investing, currently at the helm of impact and sustainability initiatives for AfricInvest Private Credit. She is deeply committed to integrating ethical business practices within SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa, employing a comprehensive theory of change to ensure these principles are upheld across all investment stages. Samia believes that educating companies about the detrimental costs of unethical practices is paramount in encouraging them to adopt ethical standards, emphasizing that a culture of integrity and mutual trust is essential for business sustainability and growth. Through her leadership, AfricInvest Private Credit has secured over $2 billion in funds, showcasing the importance of ESG factors and high ethical standards to investors worldwide.

Key highlights: 

  • Driving SME Growth Through Ethical Governance
  • Ethics First: Promoting Integrity in Business Relations
  • Benefits of Ethical Business Practices
  • Fostering Ethical Standards for Sustainable Business

Resources:

Samia Tnani on Linkedin

AfricInvest Private Credit 

CIPE

CIPE

Ethics 1st

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Business Integrity Innovations

Business Integrity Innovations: Innovating Against the Odds – Dr. Amy Jadesimi on Ethical Business Practices in Nigeria

The Compliance Podcast Network (CPN) and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) bring you Business Integrity Innovations. This podcast is inspired by Ethics 1st – a multi-stakeholder initiative led by CIPE that creates pathways for accountable and sustainable investment in Africa. Companies can standardize their business practices, develop sound corporate governance systems, and demonstrate their commitment to compliance and business ethics using Ethics 1st.

In this episode of the Ethics 1st podcast, hosts Tom Fox and Lola Adekanye welcome Dr. Amy Jadesimi, a committee member of the Ethics First Advisory and a trailblazer in Nigerian industrial development. Dr. Jadesimi shares her incredible journey from being a medical graduate at Oxford and a banker at Goldman Sachs to earning her MBA at Stanford and leading LADOL in Nigeria. LADOL transformed from a single warehouse into a sprawling industrial hub during her leadership, slashing deep offshore logistics support costs and partnering with major companies like Samsung to create significant job opportunities and foster local industry growth.

Dr. Jadesimi discusses key aspects of her work, highlighting how compliance, sustainability, and ethical business practices drive innovation and competitiveness in challenging environments. She explains the importance of maintaining compliance to build trust, secure investment, and enable sustainable growth, emphasizing the positive impact on local communities and economies. Dr. Jadesimi’s insights provide valuable lessons for businesses striving to navigate regulatory challenges and make ethical decisions that lead to long-term success.

Key Highlights:

  • Building LADOL: Challenges and Successes
  • Navigating Regulatory Challenges
  • The Importance of Compliance
  • Sustainability and Business Efficiency
  • Future of Business in Nigeria

Resources:

CIPE

Dr. Amy Jadesimi on LinkedIn

LADOL

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Blog

The Nets and a Failure of Corporate Culture

What is corporate culture? What are ethical values? What is integrity at your organization? All of these questions are critical to the success of any business. Unfortunately, we usually see the answers to these questions play out in the negative. This week the Brooklyn Nets hit the trifecta of negative answers to all the above.

It all started out with a tweet from that noted freethinker (i.e., flatworlder & anti-vaxxer) Kyrie Irving who, according to Rolling Stone magazine, took to Twitter to boost a movie and book, Hebrews to Negroes, stuffed with antisemitic tropes. The movie espouses ideas in line with more extreme factions of the Black Hebrew Israelites, which have a long history of misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and especially antisemitism. If that was not bad enough, when asked to explain himself in a post-game press conference, Irving was shocked, shocked that anyone would question him, saying according to ESPN, he “does not believe he did anything wrong in promoting an antisemitic film and book on his social media accounts.”

The condemnation was swift from the Nets and other National Basketball Association (NBA) players. According to Rolling Stone, as an organization, “The Brooklyn Nets strongly condemn and have no tolerance for the promotion of any form of hate speech. We believe that in these situations, our first action must be open, honest dialogue. We thank those, including the ADL, who have been supportive during this time.” The Nets owner Joe Tsai also issued a statement Friday night on Twitter expressing, “I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of anti-Semitic disinformation. I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion.” He added, “This is bigger than basketball.”

Nets (then-more on that below) coach Steve Nash said in Basketball News, “”I just hope that we all go through this together,” Nash said before the Nets game against the Indiana Pacers. “There’s always an opportunity for us to grow and understand new perspectives. “I think the organization is trying to take that stance where we can communicate through this. And try to all come out in a better position and both more understanding and more empathy for every side of this debate and situation,” Nash added.”

According to SI.com, “the Inside the NBA crew of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal had strong opinions on the” tweet and events.  “Barkley and O’Neal didn’t pull any punches in ripping Irving, with both hosts referring to him as “an idiot.” Barkley expressed his disappointment that the NBA didn’t suspend Irving, while Shaq called out Irving.”

What does a company do when one of its top producers lays out an antisemitic tweet? Why of course it fires the coach. Of course, the Nets said was it was based on the team’s abysmal start. GM Sean Marks said, “a change is necessary at this time. ESPN noted “it’s exceptionally rare for an NBA coach to be let go on a game day, much less roughly 12 hours after a win (the Nets beat the Indiana Pacers 116-109 on Monday night). Marks explained the business decision had been in the works for days. If the timeline he refers to here is accurate, these conversations would have actually started only a few days into the 2022-23 regular season.” Although Marks said the players had no input into the decision to fire Nash, nothing gets done on the Nets without the input of its star player Kevin Durant. In other words, Irving puts out an antisemitic tweet and the coach is fired. All of that sounds like NCAA enforcement back in the day where when Ohio State was caught violating the recruiting rules, Western Kentucky got put on probation.

But it even gets worse from a culture, reputational and integrity perspective next. Apparently, the Nets are aiming to hire the suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ido Udoka. Udoka was suspended before the season started, according to The Athletic for “having an intimate relationship with a female member of the Celtics organization. The Celtics front office determined Udoka’s actions were unacceptable, and he was unfit to coach the team he had just led to the NBA Finals. They suspended the second-year coach for the entirety of the 2022-23 season.”

The Athletic (and even WOJ) reported that Udoka is on the verge of being awarded the same job in a different organization, not even two months into his suspension. The article went on to ask, “And what about the Nets? Did they even think about the women who work in their organization and how they would be affected by such a hire? Hiring Udoka is a slap in the face to all of those women and women everywhere.”

What is the culture of the Nets? I went to the Nets website to review their Code of Conduct but it is entitled, NBA Fan Code of Conduct. No policy on harassment, discrimination or anything else. Even the Houston Astros had a policy against abuse towards women when they decided it only applied to Astros players and not players from other teams when they traded for Roberto Osuna.

Where is the NBA in all of this? Nowhere to be seen apparently. Once again, I went to the NBA website and no public facing Code of Conduct for itself or its teams.

What does all of this say about the culture, ethics and integrity of the Net? I will leave you to conjugate on that question. What would you do when a top producer violates an accepted norm by supporting a clearly antisemitic movie? Do you think he can claim that there was nothing in the Code of Conduct about it as the Nets apparently have no Code of Conduct? What does it say about its romancing of a new head coach who is currently under suspension for having an inappropriate relationship with a female team employee that the Celtics considered a violation of the team’s organizational guidelines. What will it mean for female employees? Will or even can they ever trust him?

And everyone thought the culture of the Washington Football Team was the worst in sports.

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Great Women in Compliance

Sarah Powell – Remember the Why

Welcome to the Great Women in Compliance Podcast, co-hosted by Lisa Fine and Mary Shirley.

Today’s guest is Sarah Powell. Sarah is the kind of person who makes everyone around her stronger. Her work in ethics and Compliance is directly related to her commitment to social justice and making a positive impact through anti-bribery and anti-corruption work. Lisa can vouch for that as she works with Sarah as Global Compliance Counsel, Director, Third-Party ABC Compliance at Pearson.

Sarah returned to her home in South Africa from London at the beginning of the pandemic and had her daughter. She discussed how both of these events had impacted her. In particular, she talks about some of her experiences during quarantine, how they showed the resilience in South Africa and how the pandemic could also breed corruption.

She also shares her views on what those of us outside South Africa can learn from their experiences, particularly how they talk about the past and issues. This episode is a great reminder of why we do this work and how we can directly influence society as a whole.

Are you planning on heading to the SCCE CEI in Phoenix in October? Check out Lisa and Mary’s speaking sessions on the agenda and sign up! We invite you to say hello and introduce yourself during the conference it’s going to be a great time.

The Great Women in Compliance Podcast is on the Compliance Podcast Network with a selection of other Compliance-related offerings to listen to. If you enjoy this episode, please rate it on your preferred podcast player to help other like-minded Ethics and Compliance professionals find it. You can also find the GWIC podcast on Corporate Compliance Insights, where Lisa and Mary have a landing page with additional information about them and the podcast’s story. Corporate Compliance Insights is a much-appreciated sponsor and supporter of GWIC, including affiliate organization CCI Press publishing the related book” “Sending the Elevator Back Down, What We’ve Learned from Great Women in Compliance” (CCI Press, 2020).

You can subscribe to the Great Women in Compliance podcast on any podcast player by searching for it, and we welcome new subscribers to our podcast.

Join the Great Women in Compliance community on LinkedIn here.

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Great Women in Compliance

Hemma Ramrattan Lomax – The Art of Compliance

Welcome to the Great Women in Compliance Podcast, co-hosted by Lisa Fine and Mary Shirley.

One of the interesting things about ethics & compliance as a field is that we look at ethical decision-making and policies and working to be innovative and approachable.  In today’s episode Lisa speaks with Hemma Ramrattan Lomax,  Senior Corporate Counsel, Integrity and Compliance at Snap, Inc.   As you may have heard last week with Nicole Diaz, Snap is doing exactly with their Code of Conduct and how they center so many things around their core value of kindness.   Hemma elaborates on this and the career she has built through the art of integrity.

When she was younger, Hemma’s goal was to be the first female Secretary General of the UN (which still has not happened), and Hemma talks about how this brought her into law as she grew up in the UK, to deciding to come to the US to work for the SEC, and eventually to Snap.  She mentions how her work now relates to her earlier goals, and that radical curiosity is what keeps her career and interests evolving.

To Hemma, the “art of integrity” has guided her career interests, and how we can all do that to make impactful changes, whether it is in our communities, in DEI, or in other ways.

The Great Women in Compliance Podcast is on the Compliance Podcast Network with a selection of other Compliance related offerings to listen in to. If you are enjoying this episode, please rate it on your preferred podcast player to help other likeminded Ethics and Compliance professionals find it. You can also find the GWIC podcast on Corporate Compliance Insights where Lisa and Mary have a landing page with additional information about them and the story of the podcast. Corporate Compliance Insights is a much appreciated sponsor and supporter of GWIC, including affiliate organization CCI Press publishing the related book; “Sending the Elevator Back Down, What We’ve Learned from Great Women in Compliance” (CCI Press, 2020).

You can subscribe to the Great Women in Compliance podcast on any podcast player by searching for it and we welcome new subscribers to our podcast.

Join the Great Women in Compliance community on LinkedIn here.

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The Ethics and Compliance Library

Intentional Integrity with Rob Chesnut


In this first episode for 2022 of The Ethics and Compliance Library, host Lauren Siegel explores “Intentional Integrity: How Smart Companies Can Lead an Ethical Revolution” by Rob Chesnut. The book is about Rob’s professional career and his work in compliance, ethics, and integrity at AirBnB. This book lays out developed a popular interactive employee program, Integrity Belongs Here, to help drive ethics throughout the culture at the company. Siegel gives an overview and analysis of the book, interviews Rob, and then interviews Darryl Cyphers Jr., the Director of Legal Compliance at Klaviyo. Her interview with Cyphers brings the book to life for E&C leaders and challenges us all to think differently. As always, continue the conversation in the Converge community.
Lauren Siegel on LinkedIn
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