Employee suing Suns for retaliation fired by team

The Phoenix Suns person fired an worker who is suing the squad for discrimination, harassment and retaliation, ESPN has learned.

The employee, Gene Traylor, who served arsenic the Suns' manager of safety, information and hazard absorption and who joined the squad successful January 2023, was fired connected Friday.

"While the enactment typically does not remark connected interior unit matters, Mr. Traylor, oregon his attorney, Sheree Wright, seemingly opted to publicize his termination," Stacey Mitch, the Suns' Senior Vice President of Communications, said successful a connection to ESPN. "Mr. Traylor was terminated from his presumption arsenic a information manager due to the fact that an independent, extracurricular probe concluded that helium violated institution policies with respect to confidential accusation astir information operations and helium was intentionally untruthful with the investigator."

Wright is 1 lawyer representing Traylor. The different is Courtney Walters, who wrote successful a connection to ESPN, "Neither Mr. Traylor nor his attorneys publicized his termination. The Suns' effort to deflect by pushing a mendacious communicative is portion of a signifier and a wide effort to displacement absorption distant from the superior claims successful this lawsuit. The alleged 'independent investigation' was a pretext and a convenient screen to warrant a termination rooted successful retaliation, not truth. The organization's effect lone reinforces the precise behaviour astatine issue. We volition proceed lasting by our client's broadside passim the ineligible process."

As portion of the lawsuit, Traylor's attorneys program to record a find petition for the Suns to nutrient each materials related to the probe of Traylor that led to his termination.

Traylor's attorneys sued the Suns successful U.S. District Court successful Arizona successful mid-May.

All told, determination person been 5 civilian lawsuits filed successful national tribunal against the enactment by existent oregon erstwhile employees successful a 10-month span.

The latest suit came successful July, erstwhile attorneys representing erstwhile Phoenix Mercury interim manager Nikki Blue filed a suit against the organization, alleging contention and sex favoritism arsenic good arsenic retaliation.

In his lawsuit, Traylor said 1 of his superior roles was to place safety, fiscal and reputational risks for the Suns. In 2023, Traylor submitted a presumption for management, which was antecedently reviewed by ESPN, that outlined circumstantial incidents of concern.

Traylor alleged the presumption led Suns absorption to retaliate against him, including having him demoted astir a twelvemonth later. He besides alleged that the squad discouraged him from taking protected permission aft helium was diagnosed with cancer.

The suit stated that connected Dec. 17, 2023, the Phoenix Police Department's Homeland Defense Bureau conducted a tract trial of the information measures astatine the Suns' arena during a game. Plainclothes officers attempted to participate the arena utilizing valid crippled tickets portion concealing weapons. Two of the officers were capable to bring a weapon into the arena undetected.

On Dec. 3, 2024, officers from the aforesaid section conducted different tract trial of the information measures and successfully brought successful 2 handguns and 1 weapon done security.

ESPN obtained the reports of some tract tests.

"Guest information is our apical priority," a Suns spokeswoman antecedently told ESPN. "We proceed to conscionable and transcend information expectations. We regularly behaviour information tests, which is modular crossed the industry. We person utilized these proactive measures to guarantee we are operating astatine the highest level of information and preparedness."

Traylor's suit said that successful February 2025, the NBA conducted its ain information audit of the team's arena, and the Suns failed that trial arsenic well. The audit, Traylor said, was a astonishment -- 1 the league regularly performs astatine arenas crossed the NBA -- and not successful effect to immoderate concerns helium raised oregon to the February 2024 trial that helium said the Suns failed.

Since 2024, the squad has failed aggregate different league information audits, 3 squad sources antecedently told ESPN.

The Suns disputed that allegation, saying they person ne'er failed a information audit.