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Rick Welts, the president of the Phoenix Suns, hopes his coming out can break the silence surrounding homosexuality in men's team sports.
By DAN BARRY
Published: May 15, 2011
Last month, in a Midtown office adorned with sports memorabilia, two longtime friends met for a private talk. David Stern, the commissioner of the National Basketball Association, sipped his morning coffee, expecting to be asked for career advice. Across from him sat Rick Welts, the president and chief executive of the Phoenix Suns, who had come to New York not to discuss careers, but to say, finally, I am gay.
Courtesy of Rick Welts
Mr. Welts, far right on the front row, was an assistant trainer with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1971.
Joshua Lott for The New York Times
Rick Welts explained that he wants to be a mentor to gay people who harbor doubts about a sports career, whether on the court or in the front office.
In many work environments, this would qualify as a so-what moment. But until now, Mr. Welts, 58, who has spent 40 years in sports, rising from ball boy to N.B.A. executive to team president, had not felt comfortable enough in his chosen field to be open about his sexuality. His eyes welling at times, he also said that he planned to go public.
By this point, Mr. Welts had already traveled to Seattle to share his news with another friend, Bill Russell, one of the greatest basketball players ever and the recent recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He had also met with Val Ackerman, the founding president of the Women's National Basketball Association, in New York, and would soon be lunching in Phoenix with Steve Nash, the point guard and leader of the Suns and twice the N.B.A.'s most valuable player.
In these meetings and in interviews with The New York Times, Mr. Welts explained that he wants to pierce the silence that envelops the subject of homosexuality in men's team sports. He wants to be a mentor to gay people who harbor doubts about a sports career, whether on the court or in the front office. Most of all, he wants to feel whole, authentic.
"This is one of the last industries where the subject is off limits," said Mr. Welts, who stands now as a true rarity, a man prominently employed in professional men's team sports, willing to declare his homosexuality. "Nobody's comfortable in engaging in a conversation."
Dr. Richard Lapchick, the founder and director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, and the son of the basketball legend Joe Lapchick, agreed. "The fact that there's no other man who has done this before speaks directly to how hard it must be for Rick to do this now," he said.
Mr. Stern did not find the discussion with Mr. Welts awkward or even surprising; he had long known that his friend was gay, but never felt that he had license to broach the subject. Whatever I can do to help, the affably gruff commissioner said. He sensed the decades of anguish that had led the very private Mr. Welts to go public.
After what needed to be said had been said, the two men headed for the door. And for the first time in their 30-year friendship, they hugged.
The very next day, the gifted Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant, one of the faces of the N.B.A., responded to a technical foul by calling the referee a "faggot."
A Feeling of Isolation
Rick Welts always knew.
Growing up in Seattle, he was the industrious kid who landed a coveted job with the SuperSonics basketball team, first as a ball boy, then as an assistant trainer. By the time he went to the University of Washington, he had enough good-will clout to have Lenny Wilkens, then the coach of the Sonics, visit his fraternity for a chat.
But for all the fraternal respect this earned him, Mr. Welts felt isolated. What little he knew of gay culture was stereotypical, and unappealing, he recalled. "In my mind, it was effeminate: a way that I would not define as masculine."
His growing responsibilities with the Sonics allowed him to miss class dances and other awkward obligations, but even alone, he felt out of place. Late one night, he walked two miles to slip a long confessional letter under the door of a young minister at his family's church, but the well-intentioned minister could not help him. So he resigned himself to adapt, in private.
After college, Mr. Welts returned to the Sonics as assistant director of public relations, a position that came with a desk but not an office. His diligent omnipresence, from early morning to late evening, impressed the team's coach at the time, the intimidating Bill Russell.
"Hey!" Mr. Russell would call. "White boy down the hall!"
And Mr. Welts would hustle up to do whatever was asked. The mutual respect that developed between the demanding basketball legend and the earnest employee gradually grew into a friendship close enough for Mr. Russell to judge him "a good teammate."
Immersed in a business where manhood is often defined by on-court toughness and off-court conquest, Mr. Welts rose to become the public relations director for the Sonics, at a time when the team won its only championship, in 1979. He still ticks off the names of the starting five as though they were family: Dennis Johnson. John Johnson. Gus Williams. Jack Sikma. Lonnie Shelton.
An N.B.A. Career
Mr. Welts was eventually recruited by Mr. Stern, then a rising star in the N.B.A.'s front office, to become the league's director of national promotions. That is, to ask businesses to invest marketing dollars in what was then, perhaps, the least popular professional sport.
Mr. Welts accepted. By this point, he had established a relationship with an architect he had met by chance in a Seattle restaurant in 1977. Soon Rick and Arnie became just another Manhattan couple, enjoying the live-and-let-live anonymity of the big city.
At the same time, Mr. Welts helped to raise the N.B.A.'s profile and profits. In 1984, for example, he created the N.B.A. All-Star Weekend, with a slam-dunk contest and an old-timers' game, just as Mr. Stern became the league's commissioner. And in 1997, he and Ms. Ackerman won accolades for their roles in establishing the W.N.B.A.
"In many ways, he had a complete understanding of the soul of the N.B.A.," a grateful Mr. Stern said. The N.B.A., though, did not have a complete understanding of Rick Welts.
Although he had opened up to his supportive parents and to his younger, only sibling, Nancy, Mr. Welts feared that if he made his homosexuality public, it would impede his rising sports career.
"It wasn't talked about," he said. "It wasn't a comfortable subject. And it wasn't my imagination. I was there."
But this privacy came at great cost. In March 1994, his longtime partner, Arnie, died from complications related to AIDS, and Mr. Welts compartmentalized his grief, taking only a day or two off from work. His secretary explained to others that a good friend of his had died. Although she and Arnie had talked many times over the years, she and her boss had never discussed who, exactly, Arnie was.
Around 7:30 on the morning after Arnie's death, Mr. Welts's home telephone rang. "It was Stern," he recalled. "And I totally lost it on the phone. You know. Uncle Dave. Comforting."
Even then, homosexuality was never discussed — directly.
For weeks, Mr. Welts walked around the office, numb, unable to mourn his partner fully, or to share the anxiety of the weeklong wait for the results of an H.I.V. test, which came back negative.
Sometime later, he began opening the envelopes of checks written in Arnie's memory to the University of Washington, and here was one for $10,000, from David and Dianne Stern, of Scarsdale, N.Y. In thanking Mr. Stern, Mr. Welts said they "did the guy thing," communicating only through asides and silent stipulations.
"This was a loss that Rick had to suffer entirely on his own," Mr. Stern said, reiterating that he was following Mr. Welts's lead. "It's just an indication of how screwed up all this is."
When Mr. Welts left the N.B.A. in 1999, he was the league's admired No. 3 man: executive vice president, chief marketing officer and president of N.B.A. Properties. By 2002, he was the president of the Suns who still kept his sexuality private — a decision that at times seemed wise, as when, in 2007, the former N.B.A. player John Amaechi announced that he was gay, prompting the former N.B.A. star Tim Hardaway to say that, as a rule, he hated gay people.
But again Mr. Welts paid a price. Two years ago, a 14-year relationship ended badly, in part because his partner finally rejected the shadow life that Mr. Welts required.
"My high profile in this community, and my need to have him be invisible," Mr. Welts said, with clear regret. "That ultimately became something we couldn't overcome."
He began to think: here he was, in his mid-50s, and maybe he had sacrificed too much; and maybe he should open up about his sexuality, in a way that might help others. He kept a journal, sought advice from his sister and close friends, listed the pros and cons. He also had long talks with his widowed mother, Phyllis, in the months before she died of lung cancer, at 85, last fall. She encouraged him to do what he thought was best.
'Of Course. Anything.'
On an overcast spring morning in Seattle, Bill Russell, wearing a green Boston Celtics cap adorned with a shamrock and No. 6 — his old jersey number — welcomed that white boy down the hall into his home, with Mr. Welts feeling as though he were about to slip another envelope under the door. They sat down near an autographed photograph of President Obama that thanked Mr. Russell "for the inspiration."
Mr. Welts said what he wanted to say, and asked whether Mr. Russell, whose aversion to speaking with the news media is legendary, would agree to talk to a reporter for The Times. "Of course," Mr. Russell recalled saying. "Anything."
As Mr. Welts shook the massive right hand offered to him, he felt a rush of nervous relief. "I was really now on this journey," he said.
Three weeks later, he met Ms. Ackerman for a tearful Sunday brunch at a trendy restaurant in TriBeCa, during which she reassured him that the step he was taking was worth it. Then, the next morning, he met with Mr. Stern, a longtime mentor who, he thought, would likely be drawn into whatever discussion might follow his revelation.
"He was supportive but didn't ask questions," Mr. Welts recalled, adding, "And the litigator in him was already directing a response."
Mr. Stern held back — a little. "What I didn't say at the time was: I think there's a good chance the world will find this unremarkable," he recalled. "I don't know if I was confusing my thoughts with my hopes."
The next day, by coincidence, the N.B.A. began filming a public-service announcement against hurtful language. In the script, a young ballplayer calls another player's basketball moves gay, after which two Phoenix Suns stars appear.
Grant Hill: "Using gay to mean dumb or stupid — not cool."
Jared Dudley: "Not in my house — not anywhere."
That night, Kobe Bryant called the referee the slur, forcing Mr. Stern once again to confront a culture in which the worst thing you can say about a man is to suggest that you think he is less than a man.
Mr. Stern quickly issued a $100,000 fine against Mr. Bryant, who has apologized. When asked weeks later about the persistent perception of the N.B.A. and other men's team sports as homophobic, Mr. Stern removed his glasses, rubbed his eyes and said, "I think we're going to get there."
Meeting on the Mountain
Mr. Welts's final stop before his public announcement was to a high-end restaurant perched on the side of Camelback Mountain, just outside Phoenix, for lunch with Steve Nash. A few weeks earlier, a mutual friend had given Mr. Nash the heads-up about what Mr. Welts wanted to discuss. Mr. Nash was surprised; he thought that everyone already knew that Mr. Welts was gay.
These two Suns employees are not friends, exactly, but they hold each other in high professional regard. "I just think it's a shame, for all the obvious reasons, that this is a leap that he has to take," Mr. Nash said.
With a spectacular view of Paradise Valley before them, the two basketball men talked about a topic rarely discussed in their work world. Mr. Welts asked for Mr. Nash's support, and the ballplayer, honored by the request, said yes. Of course.
"Anyone who's not ready for this needs to catch up," Mr. Nash said later. "He's doing anyone who's not ready for this a favor."
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Animal Care Commission
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Through EY@Work we are creating energizing and efficient environments for our people that enable them to work fluidly both in and out of the office.
Connect with us
Life at EY
What does working at EY feel like?
Talk to anyone at EY and they'll tell you what a rewarding place it is to work. We attract individuals from different backgrounds and cultures who — like you — bring a unique point of view and unique business skills. You'll work with great people and will be exposed to a range of alternative perspectives, building lifelong relationships and networks. You'll also play an important part in fostering sustainable growth – helping to create the fundamentals that are vital to economic health right around the world.
Everyone's opinion is valued. After all, diversity of thought and ideas enables us to provide better services to our clients. In return for your input and ideas, we're committed to giving you the experiences you need to progress and develop as well as the learning and coaching to help you to excel.
For us, it's vital you share our goals — so we can work together to achieve success.
Embracing the diversity that helps us grow
Diverse viewpoints produce better answers. That's why EY embraces the increased diversity that is such a feature of the modern global workforce. Respect, integrity and teamwork define the way we work. In fact, as a business built around inclusive, borderless teams, they're essential principles that guide everything we do.
As soon as you join us, you'll be encouraged to develop a truly global mindset, build strong relationships and embrace diversity in all its forms. By valuing the differences in your colleagues, you enable your perspective to change and, ultimately, provide better advice and ideas to your clients.
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At EY, you'll be provided with the experiences, training and coaching you need to achieve your potential.
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Find out more about the learning, experiences and coaching that will frame your development here.
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At EY we have a strong commitment to involvement and teamwork. It's important you feel part of our wider organization and feel at first hand the powerful impact we're able to have on businesses and communities.
This sense of involvement stretches a long way beyond the formal work you'll add to your CV/resume. It's about the bonds that you form with your colleagues, the support you give to our corporate responsibility activities and the way you contribute to our ongoing discussions within the organization. And the experiences you gain along the way will last throughout your working life.
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Earlier this week, I had quite a scare with my iPhone 4. One minute it was working fine, and then all of a sudden it stopped. I pulled it out of my pocket, hit the "home" button to wake it up, and the screen flashed and then went black.
That was it. It had a full charge, but I couldn't wake it up. I hit the home button. Nothing. I hit the power button. Nothing. I tried holding each of them down. Nothing. I plugged it into the wall. Nothing. I plugged it into my computer. Nothing.
Jailbreak = void warranty
It's still well within the warranty period, so it wouldn't be a huge deal, except… My iPhone is jailbroken, which technically voids the warranty. While it's a simple thing to reset your iPhone to its factory settings, you can't do that if you can't get your phone to turn on.
I've actually been having some minor issues with a dark spot on my iPhone screen, so I didn't mind making the 45 minute trip to the nearest Apple store to get it swapped out. Unfortunately, I couldn't walk in with a jailbroken iPhone and expect them to help me.
How to get your iPhone to turn on
The good news is that I figured out how to get my iPhone to turn back on. After a bit of Googling, I tried holding down the home and power buttons simultaneously to reset my iPhone. I held them about 12 seconds before anything happened, but then the silver Apple icon appeared on the screen and it proceeded to boot up.
Once it booted up, I ran a quick sync to get everything backed up before putting it in recovery mode and resetting it to the factory settings. From there, it was just a matter of driving to the Apple Store to swap it out for a new handset with a fully functional display.
For what it's worth, when I mentioned the difficulties getting my iPhone to turn on, the guy at the Genius Bar said that it was almost certainly a software issue. His advice was to reset my phone to the factory setting and then restore my data from the latest backup.
FYI: If the problem persists after restoring your phone, then it might be a corrupted file in your backup. In this case, you'll need to sync you data instead of restoring from backup, and then manually re-set all of your preferences.


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Residential Installation & Service Technician - Dacula, GA #6674383
Company: Comcast
Date: 08/14/2019
Category: Computer Hardware
City: Dacula, GA
Get your foot in the door to
an awesome future.
The demand for XFINITY products and services continues to grow, giving YOU a great opportunity to grow your career as an Installation Technician. As one of our highly-skilled Residential Installation & Service Technicians (also referred to as Communications Technicians), you ll connect customers to our many state-of-the-art offerings while building a solid foundation for your professional future.
In this entry-level role, the Technician will work independently in customers homes and outdoors to install XFINITY products and services or troubleshoot reported issues as quickly as possible. During these visits, the Installation and Service Technician builds rapport with customers to ensure a positive experience each and every time.
As a Technician you develop expertise in all of our offerings, you will be given opportunities to advance throughout our organization. What s more, you ll have the chance to receive performance-based recognition and rewards that signify your success as an Installation Technician.
Required Skills:
To excel in this role, you must have superior communication, interpersonal and problem-solving skills and the ability to work well under pressure. A high school diploma or the equivalent is required. Up to 2 years of related experience is a plus, but not required.
We provide a robust Technician training program, a supportive team environment and much more. If you re ready to make the most of your talents, we want to hear from you. Please proceed using the link below to review the full Residential Installation Technician job description including experience requirements in our Applicant Tracking System.
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Publish My Data
PublishMyData is our Linked Data publishing platform. It lets you serve your 5-star Open Data on the web in a format that's easy to understand, but it's also machine readable so data experts can exploit it.
With PublishMyData your organisation's data can be used to far greater effect: linking with other, related data and reaching a wider audience who, in turn, can manipulate it for themselves.


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I am using SharePoint Server 2007 Enterprise with Windows Server 2008 Enterprise. I am using publishing portal template. I am creating a list with the default "Title" column -- Title (linked to item).
I want to make anonymous users to be able to view list content and also wants anonymous users to be able to click the Title link to see item details. But I find when I clicked Title link, I have to login in order to view item details. Any solutions to make anonymous user to be able to click and view Title link?
thanks in advance!


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Special thanks to Alona at Gould Genealogy for coming up with the Family History Through the Alphabet challenge!
J is for ... JEWEL!
We find jewels in the most unexpected places, especially when we aren't even looking for them.
My 2nd great grandparents, Zenophile and Eliza Lanctot, were proprietors of the first hotel in Armour, South Dakota from around 1900 until about 1913. It was called Armour House. When Zenophile died in 1913, Eliza ran the hotel by herself for the next three years, until she sold it.
This couple has always intrigued me, mainly because Zenophile is one of my "gateway" ancestors (immigrated to the U.S.), and because in those days it wasn't very common for a woman to be calling the shots from a business standpoint.
I've known this information for quite a while, but I've never been able to find a photo of Armour House. Apparently, it's because I was looking in all the wrong places.
Thanks to the suggestion of my geneabuddy Laura, and some brainstorming on my part, I discovered the Douglas County Historical Society in Armour, South Dakota. I honestly didn't even know there WAS an historical society. I mean, the town only has a population of about 700 people.
So I wrote a letter to them and dropped it in the mail last Thursday. This evening, I received an email from the President of the Society, a wonderful woman by the name of Sharon Wiese, letting me know that they have three photos of the interior of the hotel, and that at least one of those photos purports to show my 2nd great grandfather, Zenophile! They will be happy to send them to me. (OMGOMGOMG!)
Her husband even went above and beyond, heading over to the cemetery to take a photograph of the couple's grave marker for me! Hindsight being what it is, I'm pretty sure my reply email sounded like a 14-year-old girl who was just given free tickets to a Justin Bieber concert, but whatever.
Mr. and Mrs. Wiese are JEWELS. Not only did they respond to my request faster than lightning, they went above and beyond the call of duty, AND they are sending me the photos at no charge. They simply asked that I make a donation to the society. Well, of course I will!
I have been truly fortunate to have crossed paths with these two wonderful people. I am definitely putting the museum (yes, they even have a museum!) on my list of places to visit when I finally make the trip to South Dakota.
Do we share any ancestors?
Please email me at lostancestors [at] gmail [dot] com


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Done reading all three books actually.
Cheese something soup at Bigbys
Fish something from Bigbys
Xavier U's Cheerdance Competition 2012
My boyfriend's monthsary gift <3
Tastiest and yummiest Macarons from Bourbon
Teka Maki from Ramen Tei
Curry from Ramen Tei still
Papers to sign, lots and lots of them
There you have it. I realized that I miss blogging so much. Oh well, will compensate should I have the time. Have a great week everyone and I'm missing all of you.