The chair of Super League Basketball, Sheffield Sharks owner Vaughn Millette, has been forced to step down and apologise for accusing a referee of racism.
Millette’s outburst last weekend led to the league’s head of officiating resigning and referees going on strike, bringing the competition to a standstill.
The American confirmed that his comments, made on social media, are now being investigated by the British Basketball Federation, as revealed by City AM on Tuesday.
In the meantime Millette has stepped down and issued a lengthy apology to “everyone involved in Super League Basketball” and in particular referee Eduard Udyanskyy.
But he said the Sharks’ allegation that coach Atiba Lyons received unfair treatment would also be examined in more detail.
“In an attempt to defend Coach Lyons and raise serious, long-standing concerns, I recognise I have caused distress and publicly undermined our match officials’ integrity,” he said.
“It was wrong of me to publicly infer unconscious bias was responsible for Sheffield Sharks’ results and I apologise unreservedly to Ed for that.
“In truth, this was something I realised very soon after posting, which was why I quickly deleted the posts and sent a private apology directly to our match officials on Monday morning.
“Given the impact of my comments, it has understandably taken a while for all parties to come back to the table and work towards getting back on the court.
“I would like to extend a big apology to all our fans and players who have, in that time, been impacted by match postponements.”
Millette took over as Sheffield Sharks owner eight months ago and quickly became chair of Super League Basketball, which was formed by clubs following the demise of the British Basketball League.
“Rightly, there will now be a further investigation into this matter via the proper channels. There will also be a concurrent investigation into the allegations of unconscious bias.
“While those take place, it is only right that I step down as Interim Chair of Super League Basketball.
“I am pleased that SLB and our Referees Association are fully committed to working together to create a safe and welcoming environment for everyone involved in our sport.
“I look forward to getting games back on the court.”
SLB did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
What did Vaughn Millette say last weekend?
Vaughn Millette took aim at the officials after the Sharks lost ground in SLB with defeat against Surrey 89ers on Saturday night.
“There has been an ongoing issue of racism towards my coach from a certain referee for years now,” he wrote in a series of posts on X.
In an attempt to highlight his team’s perceived injustice, Millette also posted statistics comparing their win rate and that of title rivals London Lions with and without Udyanskyy refereeing.
The Sharks, who sit second in SLB, released a statement from Lyons thanking his fellow American for “taking a very bold stance on my behalf and on behalf of anyone in our sport that looks like me”.
On Tuesday the BBF told City AM it was investigating Millette’s remarks after they were reported to the governing body.
“Under the terms of its Interim Licence, SLB Ltd. is currently responsible for the management of officiating in the men’s professional league,” the BBF said.
“The BBF has received a complaint relating to statements shared on social media. The complaint will be managed through formal integrity procedures in line with FIBA (international federation) regulations.”