Knicks defend re-hiring Isiah Thomas for their WNBA team

Isiah Thomas has a job in a front office again, but this time for the WNBA's New York Liberty. New York Knicks owner James Dolan also owns that team, and hired his long-time friend —- even though Thimas was at the center of a sexual harassment lawsuit that resulted in a jury awarding former executive Anucha Browne Sanders $11.6 million in 2007. After taking criticism for the hiring —- remember, Thomas has been placed in charge of a woman's team —-  the Knicks fired back. In a statement, the team defended Thomas, saying it didn't  believe the accusations then and doesn't believe them now.

A jury ruled that Thomas sexually harassed Browne Sanders and the team's owner, Madison Square Garden, improperly fired her for complaining about it, The New York Times reported at the time. However, the jury couldn't decide whether Thomas had to pay damages to Brown Sanders, which led to a mistrial. The team's thoughts are consistent with what it thought in 2007 and even then said, "We believe that the jury's decision was incorrect and plan to vigorously appeal the verdict." Here is the full statement that the Liberty released upon hiring Thomas.