Spot the differences, if you possibly can

Atlanta Hawks GM Danny Ferry used racist stereotypes in evaluating and describing player Luol Deng. The comments were unquestionably tasteless and offensive; they might form the basis for an employment-discrimination action, although Deng did not suffer any harm (he signed with another team and there is no indication he was dying to sign with the Hawks) and courts are often quick to dismiss remarks like these as "stray comments" that cannot form the basis for liability (as my colleague Kerri Stone has written) The remarks were audio-recorded and written in a report. Ferry has been placed on indefinite leave of absence, basically meaning he's on his way to being fired (likely as part of an ownership change). The league is holding off on punishment, probably because the team took the matter off its hands.

Isiah Thomas engaged in a pattern of sex- and gender-based harassment of a Knicks executive named Anucha Browne Sanders, for which he was found personally liable by a jury (the case settled, following a jury verdict awarding more than $ 10 million in punitive damages). He never lost his job and suffered no team- or league-imposed penalties. The league explained that it does not get involved with "civil matters," not even civil matters directly affecting the team or reflecting wrongdoing in running the team.

A former executive with the New York Mets has sued the team and the COO (the principal owner's son) for harassing and then firing her over becoming pregnant and having a child without being married and complaining about the harassment. So far, silence from MLB and the Mets, other than bland insistence that they have policies against harassment and discrimination.

So can we find anything remotely resembling consistent and appropriate responses to possibly improper or unlawful employment practices? Or are there distinctions that actually matter?

One answer is accusations are insufficient, a position I could endorse; but then the non-action by the Knicks and action by the Hawks (especially for the latter, since it is not clear the Hawks could be liable for the comments) both were inappropriate. Worse, the Hawks incident may be the least likely of the three to result in liability under federal anti-discrimination law. A more cynical answer is teams/leagues will jump to act when it comes to players and race, but do not care about sex-based discrimination against non-players. An intermediate explanation is Ferry was captured on audio and the Mets COO wasn't, which just brings us back to the issue that audio and video are overtaking our ability to judge evidence and proof. That, in turn, says some troubling things about our ability or willingness to rely on litigation to resolves disputes and determine legal rights and wrongs.