Cavs majority owner Dan Gilbert rejects Rev. Jesse Jackson's allegation that Gilbert's letter on the heels of LeBron James' departure had a "slave master mentality."
View full sizeCavaliers manjority owner Dan Gilbert fired off a brief denial in the face of the Rev. Jesse Jackson's allegation that Gilbert's letter about LeBron James' indicated "a slave master mentality." This photo shows Jackson at this year's NBA All-Star game in Texas.Cavs owner Dan Gilbert disputed the Rev. Jesse Jackson's likening of Gilbert's reaction to LeBron James leaving Cleveland to a "slave master mentality."
In a statement on cavs.com, Gilbert wrote: "I strongly disagree with Rev. Jesse Jackson's recent comments and we are not going to engage in any related discussion on it. Going forward, we're very excited about the Cavaliers and the positive future of our region."
Jackson said Gilbert's comments in a letter released not long after the ex-Cavalier announced that he would be "taking his talents to South Beach" and the Miami Heat were "mean, arrogant and presumptuous."
"He speaks as an owner of LeBron and not the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers," the reverend said in a release from his Chicago-based civil rights group, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. "His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave. This is an owner employee relationship -- between business partners -- and LeBron honored his contract."