MIAMI – Former Utah goalkeeper Elijah Millsap said Friday that he has not yet learned from any investigators about his claim that Jazz executive Dennis Lindsey made a fanatical comment during a 2015 season finale meeting.
Millsap also expressed doubts that a fair investigation could take place into his claim that Lindsey, who was then the team’s general manager and now executive vice president, threatened to cut off his “black ass” and will send you home.
Millsap made the accusation in a tweet Wednesday. Jazz responded Thursday, saying in a statement that they will bring in outside advisers to conduct a thorough investigation with the NBA.
“Obviously, I know the truth,” Millsap said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Some external lawyers or someone, all I can do is just try to get him up and make me look like I’m lying. I did it practically to free myself from the torture of holding things, to free myself, not to make Dennis Lindsey feel bad and not make him look racist. I don’t feel racist, but I know what he told me. “
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed the league’s involvement Friday.
“We take allegations of discrimination seriously, as well as the rights of the prosecution, which is why we are conducting full investigations,” Silver said. “And in this case, the investigation is being conducted in partnership and coordination with the Utah Jazz.”
Millsap played in 67 games for Jazz in two seasons. The incident came from an April 2015 outing meeting, in which Millsap – Utah’s longtime brother Paul Millsap – said jazz coach Quin Snyder also attended.
General manager Justin Zanik, who was then deputy general manager in charge of keeping detailed notes of the conversation, was also at the meeting, sources for ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said. These notes were entered into a team database and will be examined as part of the investigation, sources said.
Millsap said he remembers being “energetic” at that meeting and eager to hear what Lindsey and Snyder would say.
“I was expecting excellent feedback,” Millsap said. “And then he took a wrong turn.”
Millsap said Lindsey told him, “If you say another word, I’ll cut your black ass and send you back to Louisiana.”
Millsap met with reporters shortly after leaving the meeting with Snyder and Lindsey and showed no signs of being upset. He was dropped by Jazz in January 2016, a day before the rest of his contract for that season was guaranteed, he said. Such movements are not uncommon in the case of unsecured offers.
Lindsey declined to comment. Snyder said he doesn’t remember what happened and defended Lindsey again on Friday before the Jazz played in Miami.
“I’ve never heard anything like this from Dennis,” Snyder said. “I haven’t heard anything, as I said, close to that from a distance and I know him and his character. And I also think that if that were ever said, I’m sensitive to those issues and I -I would remember. “
Millsap appeared in two more NBA games after Jazz dropped him and said he thinks the team didn’t speak well of him when other teams asked about his past. He said he still works a few hours a day and would like to resume his playing career.
Millsap said he has no specific resolution to satisfy him in mind.
“These guys had a chance to tell people the truth about who I was,” Millsap said. “And they didn’t do that. It’s disgusting to me.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.