Gearon Looked Past 2012 Levenson E-Mail

And yet, for as quickly as Michael Gearon fired off an indignant email to Levenson detailing the Deng comments on the call and demanding Ferry’s dismissal, Gearon’s immediate reaction to Levenson’s 2012 email on race and the Hawks’ attendance problems inspired a far more matter-of-fact tone.

In an email obtained by Yahoo Sports and dated Aug. 27, 2012, Gearon replied to Levenson’s racially charged correspondence this way: “Was tied up … for 2 hours this morning and then had to run to a meeting. Will call soon.”

Gearon’s response – which came within an hour of the rambling Levenson email that will ultimately cost him ownership of the franchise – offers evidence that Gearon proceeded without the outrage regarding Levenson that existed in his aggressive pursuit of Ferry’s removal. Between that August 2012 day and the investigation that re-discovered the Levenson email recently, there’s no apparent evidence that Gearon made issue of his displeasure about the Levenson letter within the Hawks or the league office.

via Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports