https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/mavericks/2021/04/19/sources-mavericks-dismissed-director-of-player-personnel-tony-ronzone-in-wake-of-last-years-sexual-assault-allegation/

Sources: Mavericks dismissed director of player personnel Tony Ronzone in wake of last year's sexual assault allegation

Last summer he was the subject of a sexual assault accusation published in Sports Illustrated, after which, sources said, the franchise learned of new information

Dallas Mavericks mascot Champ watches from the stands during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers at American Airlines Center on Friday, March 26, 2021, in Dallas.(Smiley N. Pool)

By Brad Townsend

5:29 PM on Apr 19, 2021 CDT

Tony Ronzone, the Mavericks' director of player personnel who last summer was the subject of a sexual assault accusation published in Sports Illustrated, was dismissed by the franchise after it learned new information pertaining to the alleged incident, sources confirmed with The Dallas Morning News.

What isn't clear is exactly when Ronzone was dismissed. Reached by email Monday afternoon, team owner Mark Cuban declined to comment. Through a team spokesperson, CEO Cynthia Marshall also declined to comment.

Ronzone no longer is listed in the Mavericks' media guide. He also recently removed any mention of the Mavericks from his Twitter bio, which now reads: "USA Basketball Gold Medal/2010 World Championship Gold Medal/2004 Detroit Pistons NBA champs/twins Cade-Austin ASU and beautiful wife Tricia." He has not responded to a message from The News seeking comment.

Before last summer, the reason Ronzone was best-known within the Mavericks organization and among fans was and remains significant: He was the primary scout whose intel and international basketball relationships kindled the franchise's several-year effort to land Luka Doncic in the 2018 draft.

Director of Player Personnel Tony Ronzone and Owner Mark Cuban in the war room prior to the Dallas Mavericks Draft at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on Thursday, June 25, 2015. (FILE)

Ronzone had been Dallas' director of player personnel since 2012, a job that reunited him with the franchise for which he held a scouting position from 1997 to 2000. He then went to Detroit, where he rose to director of basketball operations, a position he held until 2010, when he became Minnesota's assistant general manager for two seasons.

As the Mavericks' director of player personnel, Ronzone was responsible for coordinating all pro and college scouting, including preparation and organization surrounding the draft.

Questions from The News about his employment status date to the late-July report in Sports Illustrated and, weeks later, confirmation that the organization discussed a front-office position with former New Orleans general manager Dell Demps, who instead took an assistant coach position with Utah.

The July SI report was the second one authored by the magazine to rock the franchise in a 29-month span. The first, in 2018, detailed sexual harassment and improper workplace misconduct in the franchise's business operations — triggering a seven-month investigation, numerous team-executive firings and a rebuke by the NBA for "institutional failures."

Last July's story centered on a female accuser's allegation that, during the 2019 summer league in Las Vegas, Ronzone groped and forcefully threw her onto a bed in his hotel room after allegedly inviting her there to give her summer league tickets.

Ronzone, through his attorneys, denied all allegations to Sports Illustrated, and the Mavericks released a scathing 800-word rebuttal, in which the franchise detailed results of what it said was a six-month investigation into the complaint. The statement also questioned aspects of Sports Illustrated's reporting.

The Mavericks noted that during the investigation the accuser changed her story multiple times, but the statement did prominently include this caveat:

"The formal investigation is currently closed pending further credible evidence emerging, and the [franchise's] zero-tolerance policy remains."

On the day the organization released its statement, Marshall told The News: "I don't know what happened in that [hotel] room, but we couldn't affirm a sexual assault happened. What I do know is that we did a thorough investigation, so we closed the investigation and then [the accuser's] lawyers get involved."

Marshall also told The News that the accuser's and her attorneys' attempts to settle the matter resulted in "a bigger and bigger request for money," and ultimately a "big and life-changing" demand.

Marshall told The News in July that on several occasions the organization encouraged the accuser to go to police if she felt the need and was comfortable doing so.

In March, the accuser sent numerous tweets questioning the validity of the Mavericks investigation and criticized The News for publishing the organization's statement and Marshall's remarks about the investigation.

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