NBA legend Magic Johnson took to Twitter on Tuesday and revealed he has spoken with Atlanta Hawks GM Danny Ferry and believes that the executive who is on a leave of absence in light of a racist-comment scandal "deserves a second chance."
Just had a heart to heart meeting w/ Hawks GM Danny Ferry! He apologized for his comments about Luol Deng & the African American community.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) September 23, 2014
In our meeting Danny Ferry's apology was very sincere.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) September 23, 2014
I have a lot of respect for Danny because he called and wanted to talk about how his comments offended so many people.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) September 23, 2014
After our long meeting, I think he deserves a second chance whether it is with the Hawks or another team.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) September 23, 2014
Advice to Hawks CEO Steve Koonin: You should hire Dominique Wilkins as a high level executive.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) September 23, 2014
Advice to Hawks CEO Steve Koonin: No one knows more about basketball and loved by the Atlanta community than Dominique Wilkins.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) September 23, 2014
Johnson has become somewhat of a spokesman for the players on racial issues after the Donald Sterling controversy last spring.
Ferry has been on an indefinite leave of absence since Sept. 12, after leaked recordings of a scouting report Ferry read from over the summer on Luol Deng surfaced. In the audio, Ferry described the free agent Deng in unsettlingly racist terms based on his African heritage. Ferry has said that he spoke with Deng when it became clear the comments would come to light.
The Hawks open training camp on Monday, and you can expect it to be crazy with media due to the recent scandal.
