Elbert Tellem, the assistant director of the National Labor Relations Board’s regional office that handled the players’ union’s charge against the NBA, has recused himself from the case because he is the cousin of powerful agent Arn Tellem. Sports Business Journal first reported the news Monday, and a person familiar with the decision told CBSSports.com it happened several weeks ago.
Elbert Tellem Rumors
Neither side knows what the regional office recommended, and the general counsel could take days, weeks or months to review the case and either follow or reject the regional office’s recommendation. A person familiar with the NLRB’s procedures told CBSSports.com Monday it is the agency’s hope that the two sides settle their labor dispute among themselves. The conflict of interest for Elbert Tellem stemmed from his family relation to Arn Tellem, the powerful agent from Wasserman Media Group who represents such NBA stars as Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Joe Johnson, Russell Westbrook and Tyreke Evans. Tellem has been among a handful of powerful agents who have consistently disagreed with the union’s bargaining and legal strategies while pushing behind the scenes for the players to decertify union membership as a tactic to force the owners to bargain more seriously.
