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Prominent sports owner Mark Davis could be under fire for alleged salary cap infractions regarding one of his teams. Reports surfaced Wednesday accusing the Las Vegas Aces of financial misconduct.
The WNBA team won the league title last year, but this offseason could prove to be far from a celebration.
The Next Hoops recently released a story alleging that the Aces have been paying players under the table in a move that possibly circumvents the salary cap restrictions.
The Las Vegas Aces are under investigation by the WNBA for making under-the-table payment offers to both current players and free agents the team has pursued, nine league sources have told The Next.
According to those familiar with the allegations, the pattern alleged that the team followed typically involved a high-level member of the Aces instructing the agent of a potential signing — either a free agent, or an Aces player negotiating an extension — that at the conclusion of the phone call between team and agent, the agent would receive a call with an offer for a specific amount of money from a particular, pre-selected company.
The news comes immediately after the Aces’ signings of Candace Parker and Aysha Clark, both of whom took pay cuts to join the Las Vegas roster.
The accusations could result in punishment for owner Mark Davis, who also owns the Raiders. Fans were quick to respond online.
One person sarcastically wrote, “Mark Davis would never gamify the cap for his team’s benefit.”
It’s not the first time that management has been in hot water. The Athletic reports of “disgusting comments” made to a now pregnant WNBA player that she says were “traumatizing.”
Davis also saw recent controversy with the Raiders involving workplace misconduct and accounting discrepancies.
The team could not be contacted for comment on the issue. It will be interesting to see if there is a penalty handed down to Mark Davis and the Las Vegas Aces ahead of the 2023 season. In the very least, it represents a black eye for the organization.