Pistons fire assistant GM Rob Murphy following misconduct investigation

[Manocad]

Udoka did more than just a consensual relationship, but this is still far worse than what he did. It won’t get the same headlines because he’s an assistant who most fans won’t know of.

Really bad that it took this long to fire the guy- we don’t know all the details but it sure looks like they tried to sweep this under the rug. Seems like we’ve got enough recent examples in the NBA that show this is a bad idea, but I guess we don’t know how many things actually do get successfully swept.

Shame really. Glad he’s gone now but this is all quite disappointing.

The Detroit News story on this says the Pistons' investigation into the matter had concluded in December, but they didn't take any action against Murphy until the lawsuit was filed. Like you say, he's probably not a big enough name for this story to get more traction, but I wonder how the league will feel about this. I doubt it would get the point where the league takes action against Gores, but I kinda wouldn't mind that - the Pistons have been an absolute **** since he bought the team, even if he seems to have gotten the point on the need to rebuild in the last few years.

One bad apple doesn't spoil the whole barrel. And hiring bad GM's and/or coaches who make poor decisions isn't a crime. Like anything else, some organizations are going to be good at it and some won't be. That's the nature of business. There's no way the league would take any action against the team.

[bstein14]

And this is why you don't jump to conclusions, people. You just make yourself look silly.

So it appears that Murphy broke the rules which lead to him being fired but, at least according to the Pistons' investigation, didn't commit a criminal act.

"the available evidence" didn't seem to be there.... that's a lot different than saying he didn't commit a criminal act. Yes you're innocent until proven guilty, but at the same time its likely the Pistons made the right decision in distancing themselves from Murphy.

[DBC10]

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2023/05/11/detroit-pistons-rob-murphy-sexual-harassment-claims-lawyer/70207641007/

So it looks like a he said she said situation at this point that'll look to settle eventually. One side alleging no harassment while one side saying the grievances/damages were valid in other reporting.
Feels as though the truth is somewhere in the middle and maybe leaning closer to either side in shade as more news comes out?

At the end of the day, they fired him and Murphy's lawyer doesn't explain the reasoning behind it (yet). At least not that we know of. He clearly didn't do something right at the very least, hard to believe the Pistons would just fire him into the sun if he was truly their golden boy

Rob Murphy no longer works for the Detroit Pistons or Motor City Cruise, in any capacity," the statement read. "Mr. Murphy was recently terminated for violation of company policy and the terms of his employment agreement. The facts that gave rise to his termination surfaced during a review, assisted by a national law firm, of allegations made by a former employee. Mr. Murphy was placed on leave immediately after the allegations were received and did not return to the workplace prior to his termination. Because this is a personnel matter, no further details will be forthcoming at this time.” -Detroit News

I also found the polygraph testing part amusing

[Invictus88]

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2023/05/11/detroit-pistons-rob-murphy-sexual-harassment-claims-lawyer/70207641007/

So it looks like a he said she said situation at this point that'll look to settle eventually. One side alleging no harassment while one side saying the grievances/damages were valid in other reporting.
Feels as though the truth is somewhere in the middle and maybe leaning closer to either side in shade as more news comes out?

At the end of the day, they fired him and Murphy's lawyer doesn't explain the reasoning behind it (yet). At least not that we know of. He clearly didn't do something right at the very least, hard to believe the Pistons would just fire him into the sun if he was truly their golden boy

Rob Murphy no longer works for the Detroit Pistons or Motor City Cruise, in any capacity," the statement read. "Mr. Murphy was recently terminated for violation of company policy and the terms of his employment agreement. The facts that gave rise to his termination surfaced during a review, assisted by a national law firm, of allegations made by a former employee. Mr. Murphy was placed on leave immediately after the allegations were received and did not return to the workplace prior to his termination. Because this is a personnel matter, no further details will be forthcoming at this time.” -Detroit News

I also found the polygraph testing part amusing

Is it normal in instances like these for the guy who is fired to sue for wrongful termination if they are/believe they are innocent?

I see where the defense claims that Murphy was cleared by the internal investigation of the claims but they are somehow okay with being fired. Or at least I haven't read anything stating that his firing was in error.

I have trouble finding a circumstance where they would be okay with that if he was completely free of wrongdoing. What am I missing here? Because the logic doesn't seem to add up for me.

[Pharaoh]

Appears Murphy was cleared via the internal investigation and we're only hearing about all this now cause the accuser has started litigation.

Time will tell which side is "right" but so far things like this never end well for anyone involved.

Sent from my SM-G781B using RealGM Forums mobile app

[DBC10]

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2023/05/11/detroit-pistons-rob-murphy-sexual-harassment-claims-lawyer/70207641007/

So it looks like a he said she said situation at this point that'll look to settle eventually. One side alleging no harassment while one side saying the grievances/damages were valid in other reporting.
Feels as though the truth is somewhere in the middle and maybe leaning closer to either side in shade as more news comes out?

At the end of the day, they fired him and Murphy's lawyer doesn't explain the reasoning behind it (yet). At least not that we know of. He clearly didn't do something right at the very least, hard to believe the Pistons would just fire him into the sun if he was truly their golden boy

Rob Murphy no longer works for the Detroit Pistons or Motor City Cruise, in any capacity," the statement read. "Mr. Murphy was recently terminated for violation of company policy and the terms of his employment agreement. The facts that gave rise to his termination surfaced during a review, assisted by a national law firm, of allegations made by a former employee. Mr. Murphy was placed on leave immediately after the allegations were received and did not return to the workplace prior to his termination. Because this is a personnel matter, no further details will be forthcoming at this time.” -Detroit News

I also found the polygraph testing part amusing

Is it normal in instances like these for the guy who is fired to sue for wrongful termination if they are/believe they are innocent?

I see where the defense claims that Murphy was cleared by the internal investigation of the claims but they are somehow okay with being fired. Or at least I haven't read anything stating that his firing was in error.

I have trouble finding a circumstance where they would be okay with that if he was completely free of wrongdoing. What am I missing here? Because the logic doesn't seem to add up for me.

Yeah IANAL (so take mine and anyone's opinion with a grain of salt) but if the Lawyer for Murphy claims the Pistons didn't find anything credible with the allegations yet fired him as a regular at will employee, I don't see where wrongful termination could be valid before a judge without them wanting to dismiss. Unless they're referencing the PR release from the Pistons implying they fired Murphy due to "facts from recent allegations & investigation"?

Fairly sure I read somewhere that companies aren’t required to disclose the results of an internal investigation to the individuals involved so who knows what's actually true and released to both victim and accused thus far without there being something concrete released. Because the Pistons PR release sure made it sound different from the lawyer release from Murphy's side

[Manocad]

And this is why you don't jump to conclusions, people. You just make yourself look silly.

So it appears that Murphy broke the rules which lead to him being fired but, at least according to the Pistons' investigation, didn't commit a criminal act.

"the available evidence" didn't seem to be there.... that's a lot different than saying he didn't commit a criminal act. Yes you're innocent until proven guilty, but at the same time its likely the Pistons made the right decision in distancing themselves from Murphy.

I never said Murphy didn't commit a criminal act. I said that according to the Pistons' investigation it didn't appear that he did. That was all written plain as day and anyone who claims "Oh man, this is horrible, this is way worse than Udoka" looks silly.

[Manocad]

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2023/05/11/detroit-pistons-rob-murphy-sexual-harassment-claims-lawyer/70207641007/

So it looks like a he said she said situation at this point that'll look to settle eventually. One side alleging no harassment while one side saying the grievances/damages were valid in other reporting.
Feels as though the truth is somewhere in the middle and maybe leaning closer to either side in shade as more news comes out?

At the end of the day, they fired him and Murphy's lawyer doesn't explain the reasoning behind it (yet). At least not that we know of. He clearly didn't do something right at the very least, hard to believe the Pistons would just fire him into the sun if he was truly their golden boy

Rob Murphy no longer works for the Detroit Pistons or Motor City Cruise, in any capacity," the statement read. "Mr. Murphy was recently terminated for violation of company policy and the terms of his employment agreement. The facts that gave rise to his termination surfaced during a review, assisted by a national law firm, of allegations made by a former employee. Mr. Murphy was placed on leave immediately after the allegations were received and did not return to the workplace prior to his termination. Because this is a personnel matter, no further details will be forthcoming at this time.” -Detroit News

I also found the polygraph testing part amusing

Is it normal in instances like these for the guy who is fired to sue for wrongful termination if they are/believe they are innocent?

I see where the defense claims that Murphy was cleared by the internal investigation of the claims but they are somehow okay with being fired. Or at least I haven't read anything stating that his firing was in error.

I have trouble finding a circumstance where they would be okay with that if he was completely free of wrongdoing. What am I missing here? Because the logic doesn't seem to add up for me.

You had sex with a coworker which is against corporate policy and get caught. Afterward your coworker files a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment. You then get fired because you violated corporate policy and the optics aren't good. That doesn't mean you're guilty of sexual harassment.

That's basically the gist here.

[Uncle Mxy]

As an outsider looking in, the Pistons handling of this seems wack, regardless of your take on "he said, she said". If investigation ended in February and he was cleared, why was he not back on the team by March? If that statement from his attorney was cherry-picking and he was really busted for something, why wasn't he booted by March? If he was told the investigation ended, but it really didn't, that's asinine. If he's making this crap up out of whole cloth, why was he hired and why isn't he being repudiated quick, fast, and in a hurry? This isn't rocket science. I'm getting the "non-basketball operations Pistons front office is a bunch of bumpkins" vibe from this latest turn.

I was sued personally for company acts awhile back. The crank plaintiff sued everyone within earshot, and the judge didn't want to be judicious to force an out-of-court settlement. Due to how complex the litigation was, I relied on said company to be involved in my personal defense. 100% bogus charges in my case, dismissed with prejudice against the plaintiff, and no sex unless you count attorneys having intimate relations with everyone's money. Still, I remember worrying that the company might hang me up to dry, come up with bogon reasons to to cut ties and I'd have to pay thou$and$ in legal fees I might never get back. That's the vibe I got from this latest turn.

[JNewton]

As an outsider looking in, the Pistons handling of this seems wack, regardless of your take on "he said, she said". If investigation ended in February and he was cleared, why was he not back on the team by March? If that statement from his attorney was cherry-picking and he was really busted for something, why wasn't he booted by March? If he was told the investigation ended, but it really didn't, that's asinine. If he's making this crap up out of whole cloth, why was he hired and why isn't he being repudiated quick, fast, and in a hurry? This isn't rocket science. I'm getting the "non-basketball operations Pistons front office is a bunch of bumpkins" vibe from this latest turn.

That's my take on it, as well. Both sides providing different timelines of when the investigation was completed, and implying different outcomes of the investigation. If he was cleared, why wasn't he restored from provisional status, and if the claims were corroborated, why wasn't he terminated? Leaving him in limbo is a weird position, whatever the truth is. I do raise my eyebrow at providing a polygraph test as exonerating evidence, that's a bunch of inadmissible pseudoscience.

I agree with the "bunch of bumpkins" vibe. Like I said earlier in the thread, the Pistons under Gores have been an embarrassment. Other teams got owners that pump money into operations, win a championship (Milwaukee) or at least go hard after one (Phoenix), etc. We got Gores who has turned the Pistons into the league's laughingstock. It's nice that basketball operations has seemingly turned a corner in the last few years, at least, but the administration/front office staff remains questionable (marketing/design has been particularly bad IMO, but some of that is attributable to Nike.)

[Rip32]

She was getting harrassed by Murphy. She told the Pistons about it and they didn't do anything, hence the lawsuit. I'm sure it will get settled out of court.

I knew Rob during Central State OH days. Not surprise by his behavior.

Also, anger should be geared towards our coke head owner. Gores is a scumbag of a person

[theBigLip]

She was getting harrassed by Murphy. She told the Pistons about it and they didn't do anything, hence the lawsuit. I'm sure it will get settled out of court.

I knew Rob during Central State OH days. Not surprise by his behavior.

Also, anger should be geared towards our coke head owner. Gores is a scumbag of a person

Totally agree. Isn’t he still exploiting prisoners by over charging phone calls?

[Uncle Mxy]

Just walking through the seeming timeline here:

1) girl makes allegations against guy
2) guy is suspended, matter investigated
3) guy is cleared after long investigation
4) girl goes public, will sue imminently
5) guy gets fired

that *smells* like the guy is being hung out to dry.

I don't know it for certain, am happy to revise if more facts come out.
Call it a hunch.

[theBigLip]

Just walking through the seeming timeline here:

1) girl makes allegations against guy
2) guy is suspended, matter investigated
3) guy is cleared after long investigation
4) girl goes public, will sue imminently
5) guy gets fired

that *smells* like the guy is being hung out to dry.

I don't know it for certain, am happy to revise if more facts come out.
Call it a hunch.

Maybe step 3 is more like “investigation dragged out hoping woman gives up”

[Manocad]

https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/detroit-pistons-fire-assistant-gm-rob-murphy-after-claims-of-sexual-harassment-and-assault-by-former-employee

Here's her version. Sounds like Murphy was pretty much an a-hole of a boss and made some passes/attempts to hook up, she spurned his advances, confided in some coworkers, eventually quit, contacted an attorney and blames the Pistons who she describes as "a corrupt organization."

No matter what actually happened it looks like a "he said, she said" case. It doesn't appear there's any hard evidence one way or the other, and I'm guessing Murphy told the Pistons that none of the sexual stuff happened, she's just a disgruntled ex-employee, etc. which lead to their investigation turning up nothing. It's very likely he admitted to misusing her in her job with the chauffeuring of his kid/babysitting at his house and that, combined with the bad optics of the lawsuit, is the violation of team policy that actually got him fired. And really, all sexual allegations aside, that truly is enough to get him canned. I don't know how her case gets proved in court outside of harassment (?) relative to Murphy making her do things that were not in her job description, i.e. the violations of team policy. I predict an out of court settlement.

[Uncle Mxy]

It's very likely he admitted to misusing her in her job with the chauffeuring of his kid/babysitting at his house and that, combined with the bad optics of the lawsuit, is the violation of team policy that actually got him fired. And really, all sexual allegations aside, that truly is enough to get him canned.

But it only happens the day after she goes public, not months prior? And, if the attorney quoted by Rob Murphy's team is right, "does not support a finding of harassment, discrimination..." likely covers him "misusing her" and the job abuse.

[Manocad]

It's very likely he admitted to misusing her in her job with the chauffeuring of his kid/babysitting at his house and that, combined with the bad optics of the lawsuit, is the violation of team policy that actually got him fired. And really, all sexual allegations aside, that truly is enough to get him canned.

But it only happens the day after she goes public, not months prior? And, if the attorney quoted by Rob Murphy's team is right, "does not support a finding of harassment, discrimination..." likely covers him "misusing her" and the job abuse.

Trust me, I’m not acting like I’m an attorney trying the case. I’m simply predicting an outcome based on a very cursory knowledge of the law.

Edit: Hence the question mark after harassment, i.e. does making a subordinate perform duties that in no way pertain to their job description count as harassment? It's possible that it doesn't and like I said, Murphy having her doing the chauffeuring and babysitting thing could still be enough for the organization to clip him for that, even if she had no problem with doing it. At that point he's basically making the team pay for personal services that benefit him which certainly falls under the umbrella of misconduct. And who knows, maybe they did the "You're walking on thin ice, mister; don't do anything like this again" thing, and decided after the lawsuit was announced that enough was enough, best just to broom Murphy out the door.

[Uncle Mxy]

Speaking of Gores, whatever happened to those promised changes on the prison phone call exploitation business he has?

https://logicmag.io/supa-dupa-skies/lost-in-transit-digitization/

[theBigLip]

Just give them email access. Crazy. Prisons keep trying to make a buck rather than prepare them for release back into the community

[DBC10]

This is why private prisons are inherently one of the worst ideas you can come up with. If we have vultures already doing this within public run facilities, private ones would ensure no one would ever get out since that determines their funding and revenue