The Phoenix Suns dismissed Gene Traylor, their director of safety, security and risk management, on Friday after he has brought a discrimination right against the organization, ESPN learned. Traylor joined the team in January 2023 and complained the Suns in Federal Court in May.
The organization mentioned policy violations with regard to confidential security information as a reason for termination. An independent investigation concluded that Traylor was “intentionally unreal” with researchers, according to team officials.
The Legal Team of Treylor disputed the statement of the Suns and called the investigation a “pretext” for retribution. Lawyer Courtney Walters said that the termination was rooted in retribution instead of policy violations.
“The so -called ‘independent investigation’ was a pretext and a handy coverage to justify a termination that is rooted in retribution, not on the truth,” Walters said.
The lawyers are planning to submit a request for discovery for all materials with regard to the investigation that led to the dismissal of Traylor.
Treylor’s lawsuit detailed multiple security audit disruptions in the Arena of the Suns. The police of Phoenix performed Veldtests in December 2023 and December 2024, with officers who successfully brought weapons to games.
In February 2025, the NBA also carried out a surprise protection audit that reportedly failed. Three team sources told ESPN that the organization has achieved several League security audits since 2024.
Reylor represents the fifth current or former employee to make a federal lawsuit against the Suns in a period of 10 months. The most recent matter included former Mercury coach Nikki Blue who claimed discrimination and retaliation.
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