Suns minority owner and vice chairman Jahm Najafi is attempting to take matters into his own hands.

On Tuesday, the team’s owner Robert Sarver was suspended for a year and fined $10 million following an investigation into the Suns’ workplace culture. The report found that the 60-year-old Sarver, who is white, used the N-word at least five times “when recounting the statements of others;” made inappropriate sex-related comments about the physical appearance of women; made inappropriate physical contact toward men; and displayed demeaning and harsh treatment of employees, which included yelling and cursing at them.

Najafi is demanding more.

“Due to the NBA’s investigation and findings, I have no choice but to speak up on behalf of the hundreds of you who have been impacted by your interactions with Robert Sarver and the resulting investigation of his conduct,” Najafi wrote in a statement released Thursday evening. “I first and foremost want to give my deepest thanks to all of you who garnered the courage to share your experiences, as difficult as it may have been, to help piece together a clearer picture of what work must have been like for you over these past 18 years.”

Sarver, who owns about 35 percent of the team, bought the Suns in 2004 for $401 million, per USA Today, and in 2021 Forbes gave the franchise a value of $1.8 billion. Nafaji is the second-largest stakeholder.

Criticism from both inside and outside the league arrived immediately after the decision was announced, with many pointing to Donald Sterling losing possession of the Clippers as a precedent that should have been followed and believing the punishment was much too soft.

Notably, Suns star Chris Paul condemned both the actions and the league’s leniency, tweeting he is “of the view that the sanctions fell short in truly addressing what we can all agree was atrocious behavior.”

LeBron James shared similar sentiment, tweeting: “I gotta be honest…Our league definitely got this wrong. I don’t need to explain why. Y’all read the stories and decide for yourself.”

In a press conference on Wednesday, commissioner Adam Silver stated that Sarver’s case did not rise to the level of Sterling’s, and that his actions did not merit forfeiture of his team.

“Similar conduct by any CEO, executive director, president, teacher, coach, or any other position of leadership would warrant immediate termination,” Majafi’s statement continued. “The fact that Robert Sarver ‘owns’ the team does not give him a license to treat others differently than any other leader. The fact that anyone would find him fit to lead because of this ‘ownership’ position is forgetting that NBA teams belong to the communities they serve. Team investors are merely temporary stewards. If we, as sports leaders, are not held to the same standards then how can we expect a functional society with integrity and respect on any level? We owe it to you: employees, players, partners, and your families to provide the same positive workplace environment we would require of any other business.

“I cannot in good judgement sit back and allow our children and future generations of fans think that this behavior is tolerated because of wealth and privilege. Therefore, in accordance with my commitment to helping eradicate any form of racism, sexism and bias, as Vice Chairman of the Phoenix Suns, I am calling for the resignation of Robert Sarver. While I have no interest in becoming the managing partner, I will work tirelessly to ensure the next team steward treats all stakeholders with dignity, professionalism and respect.”

Najafi runs The Najafi Company, a private investment firm in Phoenix he founded in 2002, according its website.

Sarver cooperated with the investigation but “was difficult” during the process and unaccepting of the punishment, ESPN reported.