Clippers Lose 10 Sponsors Following Alleged Donald Sterling Racist Recordings Leak

The backlash against Clippers owner Donal Sterling continues. Several sponsors of the franchise have announced they are suspending or canceling their association with the team after racist remarks were allegedly made by Sterling in a leaked recording.

CarMax ,Virgin America, Mercedes Benz, Amtrak, and the Chumash Indians have completely ended their sponsorship deals with the Clippers. While Aquahydrate, Kia Motors America, Sprint, Loan Mart and State Farm have placed a temporary hold to wait to see how the situation unfolds. Clippers stars Blake Griffin and Chris Paul have endorsement deals with Kia and State Farm. Both companies have indicated that they are in full support of the players.

CarMax:
“These views directly conflict with CarMax’s culture of respect for all individuals,” the company said. “While we have been a proud Clippers sponsor for nine years and support the team, fans and community, these statements necessitate that CarMax end its sponsorship.”

State Farm:

While those involved sort out the facts, we will be taking a pause in our relationship with the organization,” State Farm said in a statement released to CNBC. “We are monitoring the situation and we’ll continually assess our options.”

Chumash Indians, presenting sponsor of Clippers season for last 4 years:

“We’ve always been proud supporters of the Los Angeles Clippers, however, the recent statements attributed to the Clippers’ owner have forced us to reconsider our relationship. We remain supportive of the members of the team and we wish them the very best going forward. As a group that has long been marginalized itself, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and the Chumash Casino Resort are especially sensitive to maintaining the dignity of all people. We cannot ignore any statement that causes harm or hurts any group. As a result, we’re withdrawing our sponsorship of the Clippers organization.”

Vincent Armenta, Tribal Chairman of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians

It will also be interesting to watch the course of action other sponsors take. The NBA has scheduled a press conference for Tuesday morning to announce the findings of their investigation. The Clippers and Golden State play Game 5 Tuesday night at Staples Center.

Meanwhile, Donald Sterling’s wife Shelly seems to be having a change of heart. After initially saying Donald was “despicable” and “prejudiced,” when she was spotted leaving Fleming’s steakhouse in Downtown L.A. Sunday night, Shelly screamed “of course not” at a photographer who asked if Sterling was racist. And says the tape is “not true.”