The Los Angeles Clippers could be embroiling themselves in a no-win position regarding the Clipper Darrell case. Not that this will stop them from pursuing a resolution that might drag on longer than it should. The organization released a statement on the situation, and Dan Woike of the Orange County Register has the report. Here's a sample of that statement.
The next thing we heard was the baseless claims he has made today and the ensuing media rush to judgment.
We hold all of our fans in the highest esteem and we have been patient and generous with Mr. Bailey. He has not returned our support in an honorable way. He is not actually a fan of the Clippers, but a fan of what he can make off of the Clippers. We are no longer interested in that kind of association with him, and that is why we accepted his offer to remove our team name from his stage name.
It seems like a bit of an ugly situation that can only go downhill the longer both sides lob volleys at each other, and it doesn't help that the players have already come out in support of their super fan. This seems to be another public relations failure by Donald Sterling and his organization, and it won't do anything to help his already besieged image.
Clipper Darrell might be in the wrong for trying to take advantage of intellectual property, but his connection with the team is so strong that it'll be hard to win the court of public opinion, which matters a lot for a basketball team. One can only hope the situation improves with time.
It's also increasingly hypocritical for the Clippers to wait until the team was successful to make a statement like this one. Not a good day in Clipper nation.
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