Carl Lahr, senior vice president of marketing and sales, eventually returned Bailey's call last week and informed him that the organization didn't need him doing stories or speaking to the media on behalf of the team.
"We got to talking and I said the way I feel, you don't want Clipper Darrell no more," Bailey told FishbowlLA Wednesday. "You want Darrell Bailey back. They said, 'You would do that?'"
According to Bailey, the Clippers offered him an additional free season ticket if he dropped the Clipper nickname.
"That's when everything went haywire and they said I was trying to make money off sponsorships," Bailey added. "If people are going to pay me to do some things, why not do it? I don't see any harm in it as long as I'm not hurting the brand itself. I'm going to high schools, charity events, I do it all. They told me at the end of the conversation that, 'We would like you not to be Clipper Darrell anymore and would like you to go back to Darrell Bailey.'"
Lahr could not be reached for immediate comment.
Instead of wearing his customary red and blue suit, Bailey wore all black to Tuesday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. When the Clippers return home from their six-game road trip on March 11, fans shouldn't expect to find a vocal Bailey cheering on the team.
Of course, the Clipper's PR sent out a statement:"The Clippers have done absolutely nothing wrong or inappropriate as it concerns Darrell Bailey. His claims are absurd and unfounded. He has never been an employee or representative of the Clippers organization, and therefore cannot be terminated. The Clippers have never engaged Mr. Bailey's services. When he has been in need, the organization has regularly provided him a seat for games. No good deed goes unpunished.
We have had multiple conversations with him concerning his inappropriate use of the Clippers' team name and trademark for his own unmonitored commercial gain. We have spoken to him repeatedly about his desire to make public appearances in ways which improperly suggest that he is officially affiliated with our organization. In all cases and over a long period of time, he has consistently rejected our efforts to operate in consultation.
In a conversation with an authoritative and tenured Clippers' executive last week, he was asked again to either consult with the team on all public appearances and/or commercial ventures, or stop undertaking those opportunities representing himself inappropriately. His response was an offer to stop representing himself commercially in that way and his offer was accepted in principle.
The next thing we heard was the baseless claims he has made today and the ensuing media rush to judgment."
We hold all of our fans in the highest esteem and we have been patient and generous with Mr. Bailey. He has not returned our support in an honorable way. He is not actually a fan of the Clippers, but a fan of what he can make off of the Clippers. We are no longer interested in that kind of association with him, and that is why we accepted his offer to remove our team name from his stage name."
I get what the Clippers organization is saying, I do. Clipper Darrell has his own website, ClipperDarrell.com, where he sells his own merchandise, he speaks to schools, invited to charity events, you get the gist. However, the Clipper organization, in turn, has used him for their own purposes especially in advertisement. Where was all this "stop using the 'Clipper' name and saying you're an official member of the organization" last year? 4 years ago? 8 years ago? Furthermore, where or rather when does Darrell EVER say he is, indeed (That's how it is spelled Wilson Chandler) an OFFICIAL member of the organization?? When Blake Griffin and Chris Paul show their support on a social media site in favor of Darrell, yeah, you know the Clipper management is fucking up .......... in a HUGE way.
Was it all fine as red wine that Darrell embraced the 'Clipper Darrell' moniker when the team was the laughingstock of the NBA?? Wouldn't one say that the Clipper organization were the ones that used Clipper Darrell rather than the other way around?? Wouldn't one say the Clipper Organization is a huge pile of douche??
Here is Clipper Darrell's response via his website.
I feel his anguish through his post and this is what makes the Clipper's organization truly sad.
One final thought:
Here's a chair I brought for the Clipper's management. Now, SIT YO ASS DOWN!!!
Until next time,
Mrs. NBA
