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Gene Traylor, who is listed as senior leader of safety and security for the team’s Player 15 on his LinkedIn page, filed the complaint in the U.S. District Court in Arizona on May 13, ESPN reported.

The lawsuit also alleges the Phoenix Police Department’s Homeland Defense Bureau conducted a field test of arena security on Dec. 17, 2023, when the Suns played the Washington Wizards at home. Wearing plain clothes, two officers were able to bring a knife into the arena undetected while using valid game tickets.

The same bureau conducted another test on Dec. 3, 2024, when the Suns played the San Antonio Spurs at home and officers successfully brought two handguns and one knife through security, ESPN reported.

Traylor, employed by the Suns since January 2023, alleges the Suns responded to his presentation, noting three incidents by demoting him nearly a year later.

Traylor reported to the Suns that a former part-time employee, while employed by the Suns, stole more than $40,000 in shoes, merchandise and apparel, per ESPN.

The two other incidents involved someone interrupting a team photo-op that included Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein and former Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner being harassed by a “political influencer” at an airport in the Dallas/Fort Worth area that delayed the flight nearly four hours.

All these incidents occurred in a four-month period from March 2023 to June 2023.

ESPN also reported Traylor alleges the team “discouraged him from taking protected leave” after he was diagnosed with cancer.

The Suns responded to the safety issues and Traylor’s accusations in separate statements to ESPN.

The team noted Traylor’s representative, attorney Sheree Wright, has been “disciplined” twice by the Supreme Court of Arizona for “committing numerous violations of the rules of professional conduct, and she is currently serving a two-year probation with the State Bar of Arizona.”

Cortney Walters also is representing Traylor, who has worked for the Arizona Rangers, a uniformed, law enforcement auxiliary that supports law enforcement agencies in Arizona.

“This time, Ms. Wright and her client have made absurd accusations of misconduct surrounding the security department of the Phoenix Suns. These allegations are delusional and categorically false,” said the Suns in the ESPN story.

Wright represented Andrea Trischan, who sued the Suns last year for harassment, racial discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination.

The team’s program manager of diversity, equity and inclusion from September 2022 to July 2023, Trischan is seeking $60 million, ESPN reported. This is one of four lawsuits filed in the U.S. District Court in Arizona against the Suns involving employees alleging discrimination.

Wright and Walters released a joint statement to ESPN in reaction to the Suns’ comments, saying the team has “resorted to personal and defamatory attacks” against Wright in an attempt to “shift the public narrative, discredit the attorneys involved, and avoid accountability for their own misconduct.”

As for the weapons getting through security, the Suns told ESPN, “Guest safety is our top priority. We continue to meet and exceed safety expectations. We regularly conduct security tests, which is standard across the industry. We have used these proactive measures to ensure we are operating at the highest level of safety and preparedness.”

However, Traylor told ESPN the NBA performed a security audit of the arena in February of this year, and the Suns also failed that test.