John Raoux / Associated Press
The Orlando Magic laid off 31 full-time employees on Friday, nearly 10 percent of the organization’s general staff, as a result of a “dramatic loss of earnings” due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Josh Robbins and Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Magic CEO Alex Martins confirmed a downsizing in a statement, though the team did not give an exact number:
“Our business, as well as many others like us, are significantly affected by COVID-19. We have had to make some very difficult business decisions in these unprecedented times. Due to this reality, we have had to make the difficult decision to evaluate our general structure, reorganize and reduce our workforce.
“For an organization like ours, whose mission is focused on our people and creating the best possible work environment, based on family values, this is a very difficult situation to face, and it will be even more difficult for our colleagues who will be leaving us. Please note that we do not make this decision lightly, and while the hardest thing for our colleagues to say goodbye to, know that this is a decision that is also very difficult for our organization. This is not the fault of any specific individual that we must part with today, this decision is only about being more efficient in a post-COVID-19 environment, and the requirement to be more efficient in this unknown future we face. “
Athletic notes that the team also eliminated 16 positions that were currently unoccupied.
The DeVos family currently owns the majority of the equipment and has a reported net worth of $ 5.4 billion as of 2018, by Forbes The property, including the DeVos family, and Magic players previously announced $ 2 million background for the nearly 1,800 hourly workers at the Amway Center after the season was suspended on March 11.
Orlando had 10 home games remaining at the time, and although the team will participate in the NBA restart later this month, individual franchises are gearing up for overall revenue cuts.
“To whom we must say goodbye, we have provided very fair compensation, continuation of health care benefits, relocation services and wellness consultation,” said Martins. “We thank all those who leave us from the bottom of our hearts for their dedication, work and compassion that they gave to the Magic organization.”
This is the second time In the past decade, a loss of games has required the Magic to fire its employees after 20 employees and 12 vacant positions were eliminated during the close of 2011.
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