Less than a week after the NBA imposed a minimal penalty on former Suns owner Robert Sarver—a one-year suspension and a $10 million fine for nearly 18 years of racist and misogynistic behavior—the Phoenix Suns hired Andrea Trischan as a program manager for diversity, equity, and inclusion in an effort to improve corporate culture.
Now, Trischan has filed a complaint seeking $60 million for “discrimination and wrongful termination,” as reported by Baxter Holmes at ESPN.
According to Trischan’s attorney, Sheree Wright, she filed the complaint due to persistent racial discrimination, harassment, and retaliation during her time with the Suns. “Ms. Trischan experienced overt racist comments and a hostile work environment that were ignored despite being reported to HR and executives,” Wright stated in an email to ESPN.
The Suns and the Mercury have denied these allegations. Stacey Mitch, senior vice president of communications for the teams, said, “A former employee, who left in 2023 after less than 10 months due to failure to perform her job duties, filed a baseless charge with a state agency and is trying to leverage past reports to support her ridiculous $60 million demand.”
Facing pressure from sponsors and other owners, Sarver eventually agreed to sell the team, with Mat Ishbia leading the $4 billion purchase.
When she sought to investigate them, her supervisor, Kim Corbitt, allegedly told her to stop. Trischan interpreted this as a sign of a hostile work environment where those in power preferred to maintain the status quo. The Suns countered that her role did not involve investigating past issues.
The complaint has been filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Arizona Attorney General’s office, which will conduct an investigation. The Suns stated they will cooperate, confident that the investigation will not uncover any wrongdoing.
