NBA Insider with Ken Berger

Now, the details:

Madison Square Garden and chairman James Dolan agreed to pay fired executive Anucha Browne Sanders $11.5 million today in a settlement of the sexual harassment verdict rendered against them.

The amount of the punitive damages awarded by the jury was $11.6 million, but there had been a compensatory damages hearing scheduled for this Thursday. Depending on what the judge decided, that amount could have been $1 million-$2 million on top of the punitive damages, according to legal sources.

Here are the statements from the various parties who had statements after the settlement was announced tonight:

In a statement read before tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks, Isiah Thomas said, “As I have said before, I am completely innocent. This decision doesn’t change that. However, it is in the best interests of Madison Square Garden to move forward, and I fully support it.”

MSG’s Statement: “We don’t feel any less strongly than we did throughout the entire episode. The outcome was a travesty of justice and we vehemently disagree with the jury’s decision, however, at the strong request of Commissioner Stern and in the interest of focusing on basketball, we can all agree that it is time for us to move on and put this issue behind us.”

Anucha Browne Sanders’ statement: “I am extremely pleased that we have reached a settlement. The jury’s verdict in this case sent a powerful and enduring message that harassment and retaliation at Madison Square Garden will not be tolerated. It is my hope that all women will be able to work in an environment that is free of discrimination and harassment, and that any woman who stands up for her rights will be taken seriously by her employer rather than retaliated against. I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the jury in my case, my lawyers, as well as my family and friends who supported me throughout this struggle. It has been a long journey, but I believe that justice has been done.”