Andrea Trischan, a former employee of the Phoenix Suns, has lodged a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the civil rights division of the Arizona attorney general’s office. She alleges that during her tenure with the team from September 2022 to July 2023, she faced racial discrimination and harassment. ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reported that Trischan is seeking $60 million in damages for wrongful termination and plans to file a formal lawsuit against the organization.
The Suns have refuted these claims, calling them baseless, egregious, and misleading, as per ESPN.
Trischan served as the program manager of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the Suns. She was hired shortly after the NBA suspended the team’s owner at the time, Robert Sarver, for a year due to inappropriate workplace behavior following an investigation prompted by ESPN’s reporting in November 2021. In a detailed statement, Trischan revealed that despite her efforts to address the issues highlighted in the investigation, she faced repercussions when she raised concerns about the team appointing executives accused of misconduct to a new diversity council, as highlighted in a second ESPN story from December 2022.
According to Trischan, her manager and Phoenix’s head of HR, Kim Corbitt, informed her that the executives were placed on the council to improve their public image. Trischan also claimed that she was instructed to halt her investigation into the misconduct allegations against these executives and that she experienced retaliation for attempting to address the team’s discriminatory behavior and for filing complaints.
In an email to ESPN, Trischan’s attorney, Sheree Wright, stated that Trischan endured overt racist remarks and a hostile work environment that went unaddressed despite being reported to HR and senior leadership.
The Suns and Mercury’s senior vice president of communications, Stacey Mitch, informed ESPN that Trischan, who last worked for the organization in 2023, was terminated within 10 months due to repeated failure to fulfill her job duties. Mitch dismissed Trischan’s claims as baseless and highlighted her attempt to leverage ESPN’s previous reporting on the team’s former ownership to support her demand for $60 million in damages.
The Suns spokesperson further clarified that Trischan’s role did not involve investigative or employee relations responsibilities and that the purpose of the diversity council, which includes the entire executive team and other leaders, is to advance the organization’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
The Suns expressed confidence in the ongoing review by the Arizona Civil Rights Division and believe that Trischan’s claims will be deemed factually and legally groundless.
Trischan stated that she was placed on a performance improvement plan in late May 2023 and subsequently terminated in July 2023. Despite the resignation of former team president and CEO Jason Rowley in February 2023, all executives implicated in ESPN’s 2022 report on misconduct remain employed by the Suns.
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