Mark Cuban is not backing down. Speaking to Inc. magazine about the racist comment made by Donald Sterling over the past few weeks, along with the decision by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to ban the 80-year old for life , the Dallas Mavericks owner said the league is setting a dangerous precedent. Does it really want to take action against executives for their words and thoughts? “We’re all prejudiced in one way or another,” Cuban said. “If I see a black kid in a hoodie and it’s late at night, I’m walking to the other side of the street. “And if on that side of the street, there’s a guy that has tattoos all over his face – white guy, bald head, tattoos everywhere – I’m walking back to the other side of the street. ” The Shark Tank star continued: “And the list goes on of stereotypes that we all live up to and are fearful of. So in my businesses, I try not to be hypocritical. I know that I’m not perfect. I know that I live in a glass house, and it’s not appropriate for me to throw stones.” Not long after making these comments, Cuban realized the mistake he made in using the hoodie example, considering Florida teenager Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman in 2012. Zimmerman was found not guilty of murder after becoming suspicious of Martin – who was walking in his neighborhood while wearing a hooded sweatshirt – and then shooting him during a scuffle. “P/1: In hindsight I should have used different examples. I didn’t consider the Trayvon Martin family, and I apologize to them for that,” Cuban Tweeted last night. But aside from that apology, Cuban said he stands bu the “words and substance of the interview.” “I think that helping people improve their lives, helping people engage with people they may fear or may not understand,” he wrote. “And helping people realize that while we all may have our prejudices and bigotries.” Concluded the billionaire: “we have to learn that it’s an issue that we have to control, that it’s part of my responsibility as an entrepreneur to try to solve it.”
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Mark Cuban Apologizes to Family of Trayvon Martin, Stands by Controversial Remarks