Issue 45A WIE Oprah Crop - H 2013
Joe PuglieseOprah Winfrey weighed in on the Donald Sterling controversy Tuesday morning.
The mogul, on CBS This Morning to promote her new tea line with Starbucks, said Sterling’s comments remind her of “a plantation mentality in the 21st century, in 2014. It just doesn’t fit.”
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She wants immediate action to be taken against the Los Angeles Clippers owner, who was allegedly recorded making racist comments.
“Something has to be done … like, now,” she said.
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who formerly owned the Seattle SuperSonics, had a harsher recommendation for how the NBA should discipline Sterling.
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“if it was up to me, I’d ban him for life,” Schultz said.
“I don’t know him, but I was an owner while he was an owner,” he added. “So I’ve witnessed his, uh, behavior. Let’s say that.”
The Starbucks head added that Sterling’s comments and the NBA’s decision about the owner go beyond the league.
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“I think this is much more than just about the NBA, this is about America,” Schultz said. “I think it’s a moment of truth for [new NBA commissioner] Adam Silver.”
Sterling was allegedly recorded telling girlfriend V. Stiviano not to publicly associate with black people, including Magic Johnson, and not to bring them to Clippers games. The audio surfaced online late Friday.
Since then, NBA owners, Hollywood stars, moguls and others have weighed in on the scandal.
Watch Winfrey’s and Schultz’s comments on CBS This Morning below.
