Suns Fire Employee Amid Lawsuit
The Phoenix Suns have fired an employee who is suing the team for discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. The employee, Gene Traylor, who served as the director of security, protection, and risk management for the Suns and joined the team in January 2023, was fired on Friday.Wright is one of the lawyers representing Traylor. The other is Courtney Walters, who wrote in a statement: “Neither Mr. Traylor nor his attorneys publicized his dismissal. The Suns’ attempt to divert attention by pushing a false narrative is part of a pattern and a clear effort to divert focus from the serious allegations in this lawsuit. The so-called ‘independent investigation’ was a pretext and a convenient alibi to justify a dismissal based on retaliation, not on the truth. The organization’s response only reinforces the conduct in question. We will continue to support our client throughout the legal process.” As part of the lawsuit, Traylor’s attorneys plan to file a discovery request for the Suns to produce all materials related to the investigation of Traylor that led to his dismissal. Traylor’s lawyers sued the Suns in the U.S. District Court in Arizona in mid-May. In total, there have been five civil lawsuits filed in federal court against the organization by current or former employees within a 10-month period. The latest lawsuit arrived in July, when the lawyers representing the former interim coach of the Phoenix Mercury, Nikki Blue, filed a lawsuit against the organization, alleging discrimination based on race and gender, as well as retaliation. In his lawsuit, Traylor said one of his main functions was to identify security, financial, and reputational risks for the Suns. In 2023, Traylor presented a presentation to management, which was previously reviewed, that described specific incidents of concern. Traylor alleged that the presentation led Suns management to retaliate against him, including demoting him nearly a year later. He also alleged that the team discouraged him from taking protected leave after he was diagnosed with cancer. The lawsuit states that on December 17, 2023, the Phoenix Police Department, the National Defense Bureau conducted a field test of security measures at the Suns arena during a game. Undercover officers attempted to enter the arena using valid game tickets while concealing weapons. Two of the officers were able to bring a knife into the arena undetected. On December 3, 2024, officers from the same department conducted another field test of the security measures and managed to bring two pistols and a knife through security. The reports from both field tests were obtained. “The safety of guests is our top priority,” a Suns spokesperson previously said. “We continue to meet and exceed safety expectations. We conduct security tests regularly, which is standard throughout the industry. We have used these proactive measures to ensure that we operate at the highest level of safety and preparedness.” The Traylor lawsuit said that in February 2025, the NBA conducted its own security audit of the team’s arena, and the Suns also failed that test. The audit, Traylor said, was a surprise, one that the league regularly conducts at NBA arenas, and not in response to any concerns he raised or the February 2024 test that, according to him, the Suns failed. Since 2024, the team has failed multiple other league security audits, three team sources previously said. The Suns disputed that claim, saying they have never failed a security audit.“While the organization generally does not comment on internal personnel matters, Mr. Traylor, or his attorney, Sheree Wright, apparently chose to publicize his dismissal,” said Stacey Mitch, Senior Vice President of Communications for the Suns, in a statement. “Mr. Traylor was terminated from his position as security manager because an external independent investigation concluded that he violated company policies regarding confidential information about security operations and was intentionally untruthful with the investigator.”
Stacey Mitch, Senior Vice President of Communications for the Suns
