Suns being sued by an employee for fourth time in seven months - ESPN

A current employee of the Phoenix Suns sued the team in U.S. District Court in Arizona on Tuesday, citing allegations of discrimination, harassment and retaliation, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by ESPN.

The lawsuit is the fourth filed against the Suns by a current or former member of the organization in the past seven months.

The latest lawsuit was filed by lawyers representing Gene Traylor, the Suns' director of safety, security and risk management who joined the team in January 2023.

In the complaint, Traylor says one of his primary roles was to identify safety, financial and reputational risks for the Suns. In 2023, Traylor submitted a presentation for management, which was reviewed by ESPN, that outlined specific incidents, including these three:

In March 2023, an unnamed former part-time employee was found to have stolen more than $40,000 in shoes, merchandise and apparel during their employment.

In April 2023, a «disgruntled subject» interrupted a Suns photo-op with team executives, including team president Josh Bartelstein.

And in June 2023, a political influencer «harassed» former Phoenix Mercury player Brittney Griner at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport, delaying a team flight by 3½ hours.

Traylor alleges the presentation led Suns management to retaliate against him, including having him demoted nearly a year later. He also alleges the team discouraged him from taking protected leave after he was diagnosed with cancer.

In their response to ESPN, the Suns denounced Sheree Wright, one of two attorneys representing Traylor. The other is Courtney Walters.

«The Supreme Court of Arizona has twice disciplined attorney Sheree Wright for committing numerous violations of the rules of professional conduct,