Suns president and CEO Jason Rowley has resigned from the organization following an investigation into workplace misconduct allegations that led to the ousting of former team owner Robert Sarver, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reported Monday.
Rowley’s resignation comes less than two months after he informed a group of employees that he would not be resigning, claiming he was misrepresented in an ESPN story that detailed misconduct allegations going beyond Sarver, according to Holmes. In the Dec. 19 article, more than two dozen current and former Phoenix employees gave accounts of misconduct involving Rowley and other team executives.
Suns interim governor Sam Garvin reportedly notified team employees of Rowley’s departure in an internal email.
“I wanted to let you know that Jason Rowley made the decision to leave the organization,” Garvin wrote, via Holmes. “After almost 15 years of hard work and dedicated service, Jason felt that the transition in ownership created ideal timing to close this chapter of his professional journey and pursue new opportunities.
“We wish Jason the best and are appreciative of his tireless work on behalf of our organization.”
According to the report, Rowley is among several execs accused of mistreating women, some of whom were pregnant, as well as bullying and other acts of retaliation and intimidation. He departs the Suns after a lengthy tenure that began in 2007. He became the team’s chief operating officer in ’11, was promoted to team president the following year and was later named CEO in ’17. The ’22–23 season was Rowley’s 11th with the organization.
Monday’s news marked another seismic shift within the Suns organization following the investigation. The club is currently on the verge of a change in ownership, with a deal between Sarver and Mat Ishbia expected to be completed this week, per Holmes. Ishbia will reportedly be introduced as the team’s majority owner Wednesday morning after buying the Suns and the WNBA’s Mercury for $4 billion.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported in late December that the Suns and Mercury were close to being sold to Ishbia, three months after Sarver pledged to sell the teams after he was suspended in the wake of the probe. Sarver received a one-year suspension and $10 million fine after the investigation revealed the 60-year-old displayed acts of racism and misogyny toward team employees on multiple occasions.
