V. Stiviano: Donald Sterling Is Not a Racist
V. Stiviano: Donald Sterling Is Not a Racist, Should Apologize for Remarks
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Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s confidante V. Stiviano
today told ABC’s Barbara Walters that she thinks the embattled NBA
basketball owner should apologize for his racist remarks.
"Yes. Absolutely,” Stiviano, 31, said when Walters asked her during an exclusive television interview in Los Angeles.
"I think he’s highly more traumatized and hurt by the things that he
said himself,” she added. “I think he can’t even believe or understand
sometimes the thing he says, and I think he’s hurt by it. He’s hurting
right now."
Asked if she thought he would go through with a public apology, Stiviano replied: “God only knows.”
This is the first television interview for Stiviano since the NBA handed
Sterling a lifetime ban and a $2.5 million fine on Tuesday for his
racial remarks about African-Americans featured in a leaked audiotape
recording.
Prior to this interview with ABC News, Stiviano had been seen in public
wearing a large visor over her face, which she said made it “easier to
mask the pain."
The interview comes a week after TMZ released the audio recordings,
which subsequently launched the league investigation that led to NBA
Commissioner Adam Silver to ban Sterling for life. The NBA Board of
Governors will vote on whether Sterling will be forced to sell the team.
One of the mysteries surrounding the situation is how the audio
recordings came to light. Stiviano, who was on the receiving end of
Sterling’s rant on the leaked tapes and describes herself as black and
Mexican, told Walters she did record their conversations, and shared
them with friends. Stiviano said a friend leaked the audio.
But, she said, this rant -- in which Sterling told Stiviano not to
“promote” her relationship with black people or “bring them to my
games,” -- "was not the first time” they had these conversations.
“There’s been a number of occasions where Mr. Sterling and I had
conversations just like this one. This was one of very many,” she said.
“Part of what the world heard was only 15 minutes. There’s a number of
other hours that the world doesn’t know.”
Stiviano denied having a romantic relationship with Sterling, saying she
is his personal assistant and sees Sterling as “a father figure” --
calling herself his "silly rabbit." She claims that people around
Sterling would say negative things about her to him, saying they “poison
his mind and heart about things about me,” which would drive him to say
certain things.
Despite the controversy around his comments, she said he is not a racist.
“I think Mr. Sterling is from a different generation than I am. I think
he was brought up to believe these things … segregation, whites and
blacks,” Stiviano said. “But through his actions he’s shown that he’s
not a racist. He’s shown to be a very generous and kind man.”
Sterling, 80, has owned the Clippers since 1981. Sources also told ESPN Thursday that Sterling is battling cancer.
Stiviano is also currently tangled in a legal battle with Sterling’s estranged wife Rochelle Sterling.
COPY http://abcnews.go.com/international
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