Anuka Browne Sanders = Hero of the Stupid

Anucha Browne Sanders Fraudulant Tax Returns

Receiving barely any attention in the NY Post's coverage of the trial were MSG's assertions of Anucha Browne Sanders' past tax-evasion history. According to other news sites, as picked up by NinoSportsCorner Ronald M. Green, lawyer for MSG, "told the jury that from 2001 to 2004, Browne Sanders filed false tax returns for a nonexistent business. She testified that she signed the returns without reading them. She seemed unfamiliar with them when pressed to explain deductions under cross-examination."

"The fraudulent returns, Green said, were filed even as she was running the Knicks’ financial operation, 'a $120 million business for which she claims more than adequate financial acumen.' ”

Winter, 2007/08

An E-Mail Exchange

Anucha Browne Sanders = Hero of the Stupid
Andrea Peyser and Kati Cornell of the NY Post
Bias their Coverage Against the Black Man -- Isiah Thomas

The following is an email exchange between LouV and Andrea Peyser/Kati Cornell of the NY Post during their daily roasting of Isiah Thomas during the Isiah Thomas-Anucha Browne Sanders trial.

Thu 9/20/2007 5:06 PM

Dear Andrea Peyser,

I have been reading your blog in the NY Post concerning the trial case of Anucha Brown Sanders versus Madison Square Garden. Also today, I picked up a copy of the NY Times that someone had left on the Staten Island Ferry.

What I read in the NY Times was startling. The news article provided many facts that neither you or the person on the Post doing the 'straight news' article on the case have even mentioned -- that Anucha Brown Sanders did numerous things on the job that were severely incompetent. Like having a mural put up at MSG that showed the faces of players who had been traded away!! That by itself is cause for dismissal for most $250k a year marketing people. And that seems the tip of the iceberg with her. And then also to be accused of coercing other employees to drum up charges against the Knicks for her sexual harrasement case so she could protect her job!

In reading the NY Post sports pages for years, it's become evident to me that James Dolan makes mistakes in running the team, but he also seems like a very moral fellow. This has shown through to me by his support of former alcoholics, and other employees who go through tough times. Trust me, I've cursed the guy out many times; almost called him a bitch once for signing Alan Houston for three more years, but I've also seen a very strong sense of morality in him.

My suspicion, and gut feeling, is he could have easily settled out of court in this case, as you suggested the other day, but I think his moral fiber made him fight it, because Anita Brown was incompetent and in the wrong, and was probably a 'nightmare' at work.

James Dolan, who reportedly spent many heart-to-heart talks with troubled alcoholic Vin Baker, whom the Knicks traded for after his career and life seemed to reach a nadir.

Stephon Marbury, on the other hand, seems to be a very juvenile fellow. But to be denigrated because he used the word "bitch" when referring to someone in a private email to someone else, is absurd.

Andrea, you typically have things right but I think you're seeing this case the wrong way. I think you're giving right to the bad guy.

Lou

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:56:33 -0400
From: Andrea.Peyser <Andrea.Peyser@nypost.com>

they've drummed up a case against her, after the fact. we'll see what happens.

Writer's Note: The NY Post requires their writers to respond to reader emails. From the sparse, ungrammatical response from Andrea, it's clear she either can't type, rushed this answer out, or isn't much of a writer.

Notice also how I inadvertantly called Anucha Browne Sanders "Anita Brown" above. Yikes!

Thu 9/20/2007 9:10 PM
To: Andrea.Peyser; Kati.Cornell

Andrea,

It's getting worse. I came home tonight and read Dave D'Alessandro's report on the case in the Staten Island Advance. Like your columns, I highly respect D'Alessandro's reporting and view on things. His is the best report so far as to actually what is happening in the case, allowing us readers to draw our own conclusions from the facts.

Information that was in D'Alessandro's article but not in the Post:

Browne Saunders received annual bonuses because "they're built on two factors -- profitability of MSG on the whole -- about 50 percent of it -- and how your individual business unit peforms." Mills added that in 2006, he had fired her Ranger counterpart, Mike Golub, "while handing him a bonus check."

".. as for Browne Sanders' glowing performance reviews, Mills said they were deceiving. in no fewer than three cases, he noted that she needed work on her business relationships.."

Andrea, I'm not sure if you've ever worked in the real world, but having been part of corporate America for 25 years, and involved with lots of marketing people, I'll tell you this -- people get performance reviews that 'seem' good all the time. The devil is in the details. The devil was apparently in Browne Sanders' details.

According to Mills, "her style tended to be somewhat abrasive. Not the type of manager who can get the most out of people."

In other words, Andrea, she was a nightmare. The kind of person you look to get rid of. The fact that she was a woman and she was black, means you have to tread delicate ground in dismissing her.

It was Hank Ratner, the vice chairman of Cablevision and MSG, who originally sounded the alarm and told Dolan and Mills that "we should fire her right now" after a NUMBER OF FINANCIAL PLANNING MISTATEMENTS BY BROWNE SANDERS AT A FINANCIAL PLANNING MEETING IN AUGUST 2005.

Andrea, why was this information never disclosed in your coverage in the NY Post??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

I'm starting to worry about your coverage in the NY Post. It looks extremely unbalanced and biased.

I'm starting to wonder about your reports in general.

Lou

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 08:40:31 -0400
"Andrea.Peyser" <Andrea.Peyser@nypost.com> wrote:

I'm an opinion columnist. I give my opinion, and it is that the Garden apparatus after the fact found stuff to make her look bad. They never said she was fired for poor performance. and the Rangers guy worked there one year and was rated a "3'' - lower than Anucha ever got. As I said, he was out in a year.

But I write an opinion column. You can find the news in the straight news pieces.

Writer's Note: Looks like Andrea is pointing the finger of blame at Kati Cornell at this point, for lack of facts reported in the straight news story.

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 08:38:29 -0700 (PDT)
To: Andrea.Peyser <Andrea.Peyser@nypost.com>; Kati.Cornell <Kati.Cornell@nypost.com>

Well then my blaming finger points at you Kati...

Andrea, thanks for replying. I understand you are an opinion columnist, and you're a good one. I regularly enjoy your columns, and typically agree with you.

But in this case I was really confused after reading the Post's overall coverage of the trial, that MSG hadn't put up more of a fight. It wouldn't make logical sense for them -- to not pay her off if her charges were true; as D'Alessandro said last week -- 6 million would be well worth it and pocket change for them to make sure the Garden wasn't besmirched, and the general public to get a bad feeling about them. They're in the business of selling tickets. The only logical reason that I could think of why they allowed this to come to trial would be if the charges were trumped up and Browne Sanders was a nightmare, and Dolan's morality was challenged.

But then to find out while reading the Times and the Staten Island Advance that, in fact, this case had been made, it was just that the NY Post failed to mention it in their news pieces. That's scary stuff.

As Deroy Murdoch once told me, you can change the news based on what you leave out of a story.

The face of prejudice against black men? Andrea Peyser looks like a woman who has spent her life riding the F train to Queens fearing getting mugged.

You guys influence a lot of people. Give us you opinions, but also get us the facts; let us make up our own minds.

Lou

PS: I'm not a fan of Dolan, who is the king of boneheaded moves; I'm not a fan of Isiah, who effuses arrogance; I'm not a fan of Marbury, who is juvenile. But I'm also not a fan of incompetent marketing people; I've worked with my share of good ones and bad ones. The bad ones will kill you, in the workplace. I hope that whatever the truth is, truth is served in this trial.

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 13:50:12 -0400
From: "Kati.Cornell" <Kati.Cornell@nypost.com>

Thanks for your interest. We are one day into the defense case, so I'm sure there will be more information to come.

Best,
Kati Cornell

Writer's Note: Notice how Kati's response is more refined and coherent than Andrea's response above. One can only infer who the 'writer' is .

Notice also how Andrea Peyser has formed such a strong opinion BEFORE any of the defense was even begun. These emails follow continued articles by Peyser, started the first day of trial, that ring Isiah Thomas and James Dolan up as the worst animals on earth.

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 19:39:12 -0700 (PDT)
To: Kati.Cornell" <Kati.Cornell@nypost.com>, Andrea.Peyser@nypost.com <Andrea.Peyser@nypost.com>

Thanks Kati. Better coverage by you today; your reports are starting to look like the information being dealt out by USA Today, NY Times, SI Advance, and Florida Times-Union.

First day of defense you say.. now day three.

Looks like Andrea Peyser's opinion was formed before the trial even began?

Andrea, here are some pointers on the information you are letting fly past you in this trial, in your apparent attempt to paint Isiah Thomas as the culprit here, and assassinate the character of employees of Madison Square Garden, no matter what facts are presented to you.

First -- Andrea -- if the Marketing Manager approves the posting of a large mural/poster that features the faces of players that HAVE JUST BEEN TRADED AWAY, that is a HUGE blunder if what you are talking about is marketing of an NBA team. They might as well have hung a huge poster in front of MSG that announced to the city "We're really stupid people here, and want you to root for the players we just traded away!!". Andrea, for that Marketing Manager, who is the VP of Marketing and should be pouring his/her heart and soul into the team in the way of 70 hour work weeks and knowing everything that is going on -- when that manager turns around and says it's not her fault because NO ONE TOLD HER about the trade!!!! -- Andrea, every Knick fan in NYC knew about the trade minutes after it was made, let alone days to a week later. Andrea, this was the EDDIE CURRY trade that everyone in basketball knew about. This Marketing Manager says she didn't know about it??? Does she ever read the back page of the NY POST? She IS, after all, THE VP OF MARKETING of the Knicks! Then to say that she can't keep up with the players that Thomas trades, he trades so many.. THIS WAS THE EDDIE CURRY TRADE ANDREA. Thomas DOESN'T TRADE A LOT of players; and even if he did, the VP of Marketing should be able to keep up with it wouldn't you think?!!!

Then to say, even if she had known, she would have put up the poster anyway. HUH? That statement means that she is acknowledging that she's an arrogant moron who doesn't give a shit about the team or its image.

THIS ONE INCIDENT is all I need to know, from a far, to see that she was an arrogant, incompetent marketing manager looking to put the blame on someone else for her own laziness. At 250k a year.

In today's column, you glossed over the fact that she told Isiah Thomas that SHE WAS IN CONTROL OF THE BUDGET AND HE HAD TO RUN ALL TRADES THROUGH HER. HUH??? According to Kati Cornell's 'straight news' article, "Thomas said Sanders came into his office and handed him a "cheat sheet" describing her duties and told him, "I want to let you know that I'm responsible for the Knicks budget". 'I said, I thought I'm in control of my budget', said Thomas."

The face of incompetence? Sanders, the VP of Marketing, didn't know the top players on the team had been traded, a week after they were traded.

Andrea, in your column, you wrote "The next time, she asked him to inform her about player trades so she could put the information into the team budget."

That doesn't jive. Andrea, you are misrepresenting the facts in your "opinion column". I know you're an "opinion columnist" in your own words, but you're not supposed to be changing the facts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In her straight news article, Kati said that "Thomas said that as soon as their embrace ended, Sanders wanted to "put in a good word" for a pal, the assistant general manager of the team, and asked Thomas if he would attend weekly meetings with her. "I said, I'm not sure. I just got here," Thomas said. "I told her I was still looking for the water cooler." Adding to his frustration, Thomas learned that Sanders had secretly spoken to his assistant as she left his office and instructed the woman to go ahead and put the meetings in his calendar."

Andrea, in your column, you dismissed this in writing "What she did was ask Thomas' assistant to schedule some meetings with her. He hated that. It was war."

This shows me Andrea, that you've never worked in the real world, and know nothing about sports, or marketing. You are revealing more about your own hangups than anything that's coming out on Isiah Thomas, and his "unhealthy relationship with his mother" accusation that you fire away at him.

Andrea: It's becoming apparent that you have:

Never worked in the real world
Don't know much about sports, or the importance of having a GM control the player payroll budget!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have been sexually harrassed in the workplace yourself. Have you?
Have something against black men. Do you?

Writer's Note: You can see that what Andrea wrote in her column today really pissed me off. She not only glossed over facts that the defense brought up, and misrepresented them, she continued to belittle Thomas and made a statement about him having an "unhealthy relationship with his mother." In this, she mocked the African-American culture, after Thomas had described how his mother had taught him how to treat a lady.

Andrea Peyser didn't respond to my email.

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 18:59:01 -0700 (PDT)
"Kati.Cornell" <Kati.Cornell@nypost.com>, Andrea Peyser <Andrea.Peyser@nypost.com>

Andrea,

Can I take your failure to answer my two questions as a "No Comment"?

Lou

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 07:31:45 -0700 (PDT)
"Kati.Cornell" <Kati.Cornell@nypost.com>, Andrea.Peyser@nypost.com

Andrea, one more thing to think about:

In this world of emails, where folks who get into trouble for sexual misconduct almost always get caught redhanded with some salacious emails that they've sent to the other party, how come there has been no evidence brought up that Isiah Thomas ever sent Anucha Browne Sanders ANY emails with any kind of sexual innuendo?

Don't you think that there would be some such emails if he had indeed sexually propositioned her? And if there were the defense would have brought them up and then I'd be on your side Andrea -- then I'd say yes, the guy is guilty. Hang him.

But there were no emails of a non-business nature, and he apparently never called her during off-work hours. I'm surprised the defense didn't make a big deal about this (or perhaps, horribly, they did and the newspapers didn't report it? -- I can't trust the news at all anymore so I don't know.)

All she is claiming is he used some vulgarities in her vicinity because of the fucked up job she was doing, and her demands to control his player budget. And then a verbal sexual invite without any emails in this world of email fervor.

Andrea, this is a case of really bad worker getting fired and then drumming up a charge. Anucha Browne Sanders is making it more difficult for women everywhere who actually HAVE BEEN sexually harrassed and then fired. And you're giving that really bad worker the right. And making things worse for women everywhere.

Throughout the trial, and after the trial, all reports indicated that all of the players and other workers in the MSG organization, all the way up to James Dolan, stood firmly behind Isiah Thomas. Sanders, contrastedly, seemed universally disliked in the organization.

-- LouV

Postscript:

December 11, 2007, 5:29 PM ET

Madison Square Garden and New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas reached an $11.5 million settlement of the sexual harassment case brought by Anucha Browne Sanders.

"As I have said before, I am completely innocent," Isiah Thomas said. "This decision doesn't change that. However, this is the best course for Madison Square Garden, and I fully support it."

"We don't feel any less strongly than we did throughout the entire episode," MSG said in a statement. "The outcome was a travesty of justice, and we vehemently disagree with the jury's decision, however, at the strong request of [the NBA commissioner] and in the interest of focusing on basketball, we can all agree that it is time for us to move on and put this issue behind us."

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