If Mark Jackson was digging his own grave with the Golden State Warriors management, one of the scoops of dirt may have been his less-than-enthusiastic response to Jason Collins' public announcement that he was gay in the face of his own extra-marital affair.
The San Francisco Chronicle had a list of factors against Jackson that helped lead to his dismissal on Tuesday, despite leading the Warriors to consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since 1990-92.
While the picture of the divorce painted Jackson as incapable of performing as a team player on an organizational level, the dichotomy of Jackson's well-documented Christian life (he and his wife are pastors of a church in Van Nuys, Calif.), which led to his Collins' reaction paired with his extra-marital affair sounded like more of a moral reprimand.
The problem, as the Chronicle saw it was, "The odd confluence of a sex scandal (Jackson the target of an extortion scheme allegedly launched by his former mistress) and his tepid response to Jason Collins' coming-out announcement. Jackson made it clear that his religion does not accept homosexuality, and the Warriors' president, Rick Welts, is openly gay."
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According to Deadspin.com, Jackson, who has been married for more than 20 years, had an affair with a stripper from New York in 2006 when he was a broadcaster for the then-New Jersey Nets.
When Jackson became coach of the Warriors, the stripper, Alexis Adams, and a co-conspirator attempted to extort money from him in 2012, but were busted by the FBI with Jackson's cooperation.
So when Collins came out in April of 2013 and Jackson was asked for a comment, he wasn't overly supportive at a time when Collins was lauded for his heroic act, according to another Chronicle report.
"I will say this," Jackson said the day of the news. "We live in a country that allows you to be whoever you want to be. As a Christian man, I serve a God that gives you free will to be who you want to be. As a Christian man, I have beliefs of what's right and what's wrong. That being said, I know Jason Collins, I know his family, and am certainly praying for them at this time."
The Chronicle added that as associate of Jackson's from his church was arrested on drug-trafficking charges, prompting the newspaper to say, "Those issues led to charges of hypocrisy by a man who thumped the bible as often as possible."
Among the other off-the-court issues involving Jackson, according to the Chronicle:
"Jackson insisted on living primarily in Southern California, where he and his wife are pastors at a church in Van Nuys, instead of the Bay Area.
"He had a personality clash and recent blow-up with Kirk Lacob, the assistant general manager. ('Sounds like part of Jackson's problem was as old as time,' ESPN's Tim Keown wrote on Twitter. 'He didn't get along with the boss' kid.')
"Jerry West, the highly opinionated executive icon, had serious questions about the Warriors' coaching and grew completely distant from Jackson.
"The Warriors taking a step backward in the postseason - from the second round to the first - and a theory they would get no better under Jackson's leadership."
And according to CBSSports.com, Jackson's conflicts with his assistant coaches helped hasten his demise. Jackson reportedly tried to fire assistant Brian Scalabrine without clearing the move with the front office and trying to do it in front of the players.
Darren Erman actually was recording conversations of Jackson and the other members of the staff to illustrate how Jackson and the other assistant coaches were undermining Erman's authority.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob acknowledged Jackson's ability to be a team player on an organizational level was a work in progress:
"I would assume if you asked him, he would realize - maybe give him some time to answer this - he could probably do a little better job of managing up and sideways, is the way to put it," Lacob said in a round table with three Bay Area reporters.
"There's a right coach for the right time and the right situation. I think it's our feeling, at this point and time, that he's probably not the right coach for us, going forward - given all of the circumstances."
For Lacob to bring up Jackson's affair would have made him a bigger villain in the media, and for him to talk negatively about Jackson's religious beliefs could've been political suicide. But it's also naïve to think that - given all the other circumstances - the hypocrisy card wasn't at least mentioned behind closed doors.
Do you think any perceived hypocrisy toward Mark Jackson played a role in his firing? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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