The hiring of Jason Kidd raises questions which need answers

Monday afternoon, I tweeted out how I’m really looking forward to hearing from Cynt Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks, on the hiring of Jason Kidd. After all, in 2018 she publicly stated that “there is zero tolerance for sexual harassment, domestic violence, or any type of inappropriate behavior.” Kidd pled guilty to spousal abuse in 2001.

A user named Jim asked if I had shared any thoughts on the hiring of Kidd and asked for the perspective of a woman. He noted he understood that people can change but he didn’t want to over look what happened. I wrote my response on Twitter, but I wanted to share it here too, because I do have thoughts.

The hiring of Jason Kidd hurt. Knowing the history of the off court problems that he has had and how it relates to the current state of the Mavs front office as they continue through an ongoing investigation… it felt like a slap in the face. It came off as if they didn’t care or acknowledge Kidd’s history.

I hope they do so in this upcoming press conference, but we’ll see. I do want to add that I recognize people can change, and I truly hope that Kidd has. I’m simply saying that the history not being acknowledged hurts. There is a long-standing relationship between Kidd and the Mavs, but there were plenty of other candidates out there who don’t have that history and we’re qualified for the job. Jamahl Mosley comes to mind, and it’s been very disappointing to see the lack of consideration he received.

As a young woman in the sports world, there are countless things that I, along with so many other women, have dealt with. Most of those things go unspoken because I (along with many others) fear getting criticized for being “dramatic,” “too sensitive,” “problematic,” or “attention-seeking.” Don’t get me wrong, there are positives, such as it’s easier to form relationships or make an impression simply because it feels like there is one woman for every 7383995832nd man. What is unfortunate is constantly having to tell yourself, “Hey, that comes with the job.”

This isn’t about me though. I only say that because after having dealt with certain things as I continue to try to be a part of the sports world along with knowing many young woman who have been sexually assaulted, the fact that an organization could seemingly gloss right over that fact as if it were a non-factor is incredibly upsetting.

We’ll see what the Mavericks say when Jason Kidd is introduced, because these questions and issues aren’t going away.

Editor’s Note: I’ve turned off the comments on this one in advance. I appreciate the community’s thoughts on this but I also don’t want anyone to wade into trouble the way I’ve seen on other posts.