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Sterling Interview; Rams Introduce Sam; Rams Introduce Michael Sam Today; Beyonce's Sister Allegedly Attacks Jay-Z

Aired May 13, 2014 - 09:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling says he's sorry for the racist remarks that got him banned from the NBA. Anderson Cooper asks if Sterling will fight the NBA's move to take over his franchise. Here's more of our exclusive interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD STERLING, LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS OWNER: Used to believe (ph) people want me to hire a wall of lawyers, and then they'll hire a wall of lawyers and to go to war. I don't think that's the answer.

ANDERSON COOPER, ANCHOR, CNN'S "AC 360": So what is - what are you going to do?

STERLING: I think the answer is, the league is a good league. All honest people. And I think that whatever they decide that has to be done, I think I should work with them and do it.

COOPER: Well, the NBA says they want you out. Are you willing to give up ownership of the Clippers?

STERLING: Well, I'm not sure that's what they want. And I want to --

COOPER: That is what they want.

STERLING: Well, that's your opinion and that's what the media says. I'm a good owner. I have a good team. There are people that want to buy my team. But because the media says that the owners want me out doesn't mean that they want me out.

COOPER: Have you talked to any of the owners, any of the other owners?

STERLING: I've talked to some of the owners.

COOPER: Have any of them supported you and said that they don't want you out?

STERLING: Of course they support me. They can't understand why I would say that. I can't understand why I would say that. COOPER: So you're saying there are some owners of NBA teams who want you to remain the owner of the Clippers?

STERLING: I don't speak for the league or for the owners. They speak to themselves.

COOPER: But have any owners told you that?

STERLING: I didn't ask them. I - I embarrassed the league. I humiliated them. I don't know how -- why I did it. I mean, it's so terrible. And I just --

COOPER: So you don't believe, though, that the owners would vote to have you removed as owner?

STERLING: I don't think so. I don't think so.

COOPER: If they did, would you fight that in court?

STERLING: We're not there yet, so why should I, you know, address that issue?

COOPER: You haven't thought --

STERLING: I don't want to fight with my partners, you know? We all do what we have to do in life.

COOPER: You -

STERLING: I love them and I respect them. And whatever their decision is, with regard to the disposition of my terrible words, then I - I have to do it, I think. The players don't hate me. The sponsors don't hate me.

COOPER: You don't believe the players --

STERLING: The fans don't hate me. The media hates. The media -- it's all the media. Pushy -

COOPER: You really - but, honestly, you really believe that this --

STERLING: I believe it 100 percent. I believe it 100 - because people called me by the thousands and give me support.

COOPER: You don't think the mayor -

STERLING: They all say I shouldn't have said that.

COOPER: You don't think the players don't like you? When the Clippers -- when your team took off their --

STERLING: Why wouldn't they like me when I'm respectful and I'm - and I treat them with dignity?

COOPER: When they - when they reversed their jerseys and didn't wear the name and they wore black socks? STERLING: Well, if one does it, then the others have to do it.

COOPER: You think it was just pressure?

STERLING: Well, what do you think? Do you think they're all going to walk off the team? They're all going to - all - I mean, can any of us just stop working? We all have to work. We all have to earn a living. We all have bills. We maybe work for an employer we don't love. I contend that they love me.

COOPER: You think they still love you?

STERLING: I do. I do.

COOPER: You believe the players of the Los Angeles Clippers love you?

STERLING: Absolutely. They know I'm not a racist. And I'm not a racist.

COOPER: Why haven't they come forward and said that?

STERLING: Well, you see, people are intimidated by even the thought of racism. And around the world, and this, they call me from Australia, from London, and they ask me, different media, are you a racist? I'm not a racist.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Let's talk more about this. With me now, CNN's Stephanie Elam, Brian Claypool, an attorney and Clippers season ticket holder, and Mel Robbins, a CNN commentator and legal analyst.

Stephanie Elam, you want to go first? Donald Sterling says he's not a racist. Do you think he understands what a racist is?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think he may be confused a bit about what that means. There's a couple of things here. A, he seemed to open up the door that maybe he's not willing to put in the fight here. Maybe he's willing to just sell and walk away. That's one first thing that we -- he didn't totally say it, but he opened the door to it.

The other issue here is he talked about the players and how they still love him. And that if one does it, the rest of them follow. And because, you know, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Darren Collison, they're all just jellyfish and what one does, the other one does. It wasn't a decision that was made by the team. But Doc Rivers said that it was, to reverse those jerseys and have those label, the logo not showing. So even in his way of saying that they love him, he still sort of offended them, which is also a very odd way to go.

COSTELLO: It is.

And, Brian, he said, you know, do you think they'll just walk off the team? They have to work. But they actually will just walk off the team if he remains the owner, but he doesn't seem to realize that. BRIAN CLAYPOOL, CLIPPERS SEASON TICKET HOLDER: Well, Carol, you're trying to talk rational with an irrational person. And by the way, when he woke up this morning and looked in the mirror, his nose must have grown about a foot, because, again, he's lying through his teeth. The Clipper players don't love him.

And when he -- and I thought he was going to make a Freudian slip last night. I thought he was going to say, my animals love me, instead of my players love me, because he treats Clipper players like a zookeeper. Donald Sterling's barometer for being racially tolerant is that he provides food and clothes and a paycheck to black players. That's not the same as what most people in this country believe as being racially tolerant. He treats the Clippers players like they are animals in a zoo and he's feeding them and providing them with a paycheck. And I find it offensive.

And I'm privileged to sit in the same row as Chris Paul's family. The most lovely family you'll ever come to meet. And I will tell you, the sentiment -- the sentiment with the players is that we need new ownership immediately. And by the way, Mr. Sterling, you don't own the Clippers. The fans -- the fans of this city and the people across this country own the Clippers. They are ours, not yours.

COSTELLO: Well, Mel, it was interesting, Anderson Cooper kept pressing him, will you, you know, if NBA owners vote to, you know, oust you, and deny you ownership to the team, will you fight legally? And he kept evading the question. But it's pretty clear to me that he's not going to go down without a fight.

MEL ROBBINS, CNN COMMENTATOR: Yes, you know, Carol, you're right, and Brian's right too, you can't have a rational conversation or a rational analysis with a guy who's completely off his rocker. And the only thing that I disagree with, you know, in Brian's comments is, I actually don't think he's lying. I think in his heart of hearts he doesn't believe that he's a racist. That he comes from such an old, old, old, old, old school that just providing paychecks and a job means that you're basically a saint. And so I don't think that he was lying. I think he's so delusional, and he's a guy, by the way, that has been able to buy his way to control everything.

When the Justice Department comes after him, he settles for less than $3 million. When he wants to move the team from San Diego to Los Angeles in violation of the NBA constitution, he just countersues the NBA. This is probably the first time that Donald Sterling has lost control of what he wants. And I think he's spinning because he actually doesn't understand why. His entire life he's been surrounded by people, and I also sit here and say, why, dear Lord, do people like this get to make this much money? Why does a scumbag that treats people like this have so much cash? Maybe it's so that the rest of us see what racism truly looks like and so that we have a national conversation.

But I don't think he's lying. I think he's had a lifetime of controlling every single situation by bullying people with money and finally it's come back and bitten him in the ass and he just is spinning because he doesn't know what happened. CLAYPOOL: Well, he -

COSTELLO: Whew.

CLAYPOOL: Carol.

COSTELLO: Hey, whoa.

Yes.

CLAYPOOL: Hey, Carol. Carol, real quick.

The thing he is lying about -- Mel, you make a good point, but he is lying about whether he wants to fight with the NBA. He says, oh, well, you know, I - you know, we don't want to go down that path. He's -- I have reliable information out here that he has spent the last two weeks meeting with no less than eight law firms throughout Los Angeles and San Francisco to try to sue the NBA. And none of these law firms will take him on as a client because of potential collateral damage. So that's where he's lying.

COSTELLO: Stephanie Elam, Brian Claypool, Mel Robbins, thanks so much.

And, by the way, Magic Johnson will weigh in on the latest comments from Donald Sterling in a CNN exclusive. Anderson Cooper has an interview tonight, 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

I'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: For the first time since the controversy surrounding his draft pick exploded, Michael Sam will step forward as a member of the St. Louis Rams. This afternoon, the Rams will introduce Sam and the rest of the 2014 rookie class. It will be Sam's first opportunity to address the moment everyone's been talking about, that kiss with his boyfriend captured on national television just after he became the first openly gay player selected in the NFL draft. Joining me now, former NFL running back Jamaal Anderson, on the phone, former NFL punter Chris Kluwe, and Tim McKernan, the president of CBS Sports Radio 920 in St. Louis.

Good morning to all of you.

TIM MCKERNAN, PRESIDENT, CBS SPORTS RADIO 920: Good morning.

CHRIS KLUWE, FORMER NFL PUNTER: Good morning, Carol.

JAMAAL ANDERSON, FORMER NFL RUNNING BACK: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Thanks for being here.

Tim, I want to start with you because Rams' fans will certainly tune into this news conference. What's the temperature like in Missouri?

MCKERNAN: We did a poll yesterday on our station and on our Web site, and he received about 70 percent approval from Rams fans. Very excited to have him as part of the team, because first off, he was at the University of Missouri, which is just 125 miles down the road. Many Rams fans were already cheering for him.

And then furthermore, Rams fans feel like they got a great value from a football standpoint because he was the co-defensive player of the year in the SEC. And usually guys of that caliber don't fall to the seventh round. So locally, I think most people, Carol, are very excited about Michael Sam joining the St. Louis Rams.

COSTELLO: That is certainly good to hear.

You know Chris, it is ironic that Michael Sam heads to work in Missouri where according to state law, you can be fired for just being gay. So we do have a ways to go.

KLUWE: Yes, yes that's -- I mean it's something that there's a lot of other state I believe about 27 or 28 at last count that still have that policy. So that's something that we need to work on but it's a good sign that he got drafted. It shows that at least some people are starting to get it. Hopefully we should continue that trend.

COSTELLO: I hope so. Jamal, the Rams had to know that drafting Michael Sam would create a distraction, because you know we mentioned the rest of the rookie 2014 class and you say, who? Everybody's just concentrating on Michael Sam. I mean what will training camp look like and media day? It will be a circus. I mean what would the conversation have been like leading up to Sam's pick?

ANDERSON: You know I think with a coach like Jeff Fisher, a guy who's been in the NFL a long time. A long-tenured coach, has had a tremendous amount of experience with different calibers of players in his years and he's from California as well. So his background, and the way that Jeff Fisher was raised, I think the Rams are prepared for this.

I think the team who is going to select Michael Sam or the teams who are considering selecting Michael Sam were going to be prepared for the process and what it was going to take to sign the first openly gay player.

I think what you're going to find out Carol is there's going to be a ton of conversation about getting it back to football. About Michael Sam the football player, Michael Sam the talent, and why is he here? Why are we even talking about this the first openly gay NFL player to get drafted? Because he can play football and I think that's what the Rams are going to try to take it back to. What he can bring on the football field defensively for their team.

COSTELLO: And Chris I'll pose this question to you, during his very first news conference after you know he's become part of the St. Louis Rams. What should he say? Should he address the fact you know that he's gay, and there was this kiss and there's been some negative reaction. What should he say?

KLUWE: Well I think he should just say, "I'm just here to play football." I mean the story here is that Michael Sam is a good football player who, yes, he happens to be gay, but the thing is, that this attention will die down and in probably like a week, two weeks, because it's something that shouldn't be a story, but it has to be a story now, because it's never happened before.

And I think Michael Sam really is, you know, just focused on playing football. I mean the NFL is a really hard sport to succeed in. So he's going to need all attention for that.

ANDERSON: Yes.

KLUWE: And I think that's what he's going to do. He's got a good head on his shoulders.

COSTELLO: So, Tim, you know, you're among fans every day. You immersed in the culture in St. Louis in Missouri. What do fans want him to say?

MCKERNAN: I think fans want him to be part of the team. Fans want to see what he can do for the Rams. You know I put it on Twitter last night as to whether or not people were onboard and if so why, and if not, why not? And overwhelmingly, Carol, they were excited, because they felt they got a great football player, in the seventh round. That's just not customary.

At the same time, you know for those who aren't particularly paying close attention to the St. Louis Rams defensive lines, they have one of the best offensive lines in all of the NFL. So it's going to be very difficult for Michael Sam to make the football team. It's difficult for seventh rounder to make football teams around the NFL but in particular here in St. Louis. So while the Rams showed a great deal of courage in selecting him they also might feel a bit of a backlash if they have to cut him here, in three or four months. But I think they show that they're not practicing any form of discrimination if they select Michael Sam and so I hope they get the benefit of doubt if they do have to let him go in August.

COSTELLO: I know one thing we'll all be watching. Jamal Anderson, Chris Kluwe, Tim McKernan thanks for being here. I appreciate it.

MCKERNAN: Thank you.

ANDERSON: Thanks Carol.

COSTELLO: Coming up in the NEWSROOM, the Twitter-verse going crazy over the now infamous elevator fight between Beyonce's younger sister and Jay-Z. What's up with this? We'll talk about that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Beyonce fans are dying to know what on earth did rapper Jay-Z say to trigger this? Watch the surveillance video carefully. This was taken inside an elevator at the recent Net Gala in New York. That's Jay-Z on the left. TMZ alleges the woman throwing the punches is Beyonce's sister, Solange. A woman who appears to be Beyonce stands next to the rapper as the attack unfolds. Now, it's not clear how this video got out but as you might expect, it's already gone viral. The now famous slap fest has even inspired a hash tag on Twitter, what Jay-Z said to Solange.

Let's bring in CNN national correspondent Deb Feyerick. I know you've been doing a deep dive into this story -- Deb. What have you found out?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, looking at the video, she was -- you can tell Solange is really trying to hurt Jay-Z. It's unclear right now what was said or why she reacted as she did.

At one point Beyonce does step in to calm her sister down but when they left that elevator, their body language spoke images.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK (voice over): All smiles at the Nets game Monday night hours after TMZ posted this security video recorded after the Met Gala which paints a different picture. The shocking video purportedly captures Beyonce's younger sister, Solange attacking Jay-Z while inside the Standard Hotel elevator, even kicking him multiple times. Jay-Z at one point holding her foot but never retaliating, Beyonce staying out of the fray. Solange leaving the New York City venue tight lipped, Jay-Z opting for a separate vehicle.

BONNIE FULLER, HOLLYWOODLIFE.COM: They were actually getting along great at the Met ball where they were before this and Beyonce and Solange were dancing together.

FEYERICK: The video a huge departure from the superstar couple's carefully protected -- some would say untouchable -- image from secretive yet glamorous birth of their daughter Blue Ivy to their frequent visits with the President and First Lady.

With their extensive business and sports interests, they've remained above the normal tabloid fray. She's considered so untouchable SNL poked fun at her with this sketch.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not a huge fan of that one drunken love song, though.

FEYERICK: If anyone speaks ill of Beyonce, they get hunted down.

HOWARD BRAGMAN: Jay-Z and Beyonce truly control their image and they control it well. Their private moments are just that. They put up a very large powerful wall between public and private and that wall was broken down.

FEYERICK: Last week Beyonce posted this message on Instagram now attracting minute attention. She asks God, quote, "Help me to choose my friends wisely so I won't be led astray. Give me discernment and strength to separate myself from anyone who is not a good influence."

(END VIDEO CLIP) FEYERICK: Now, the Standard Hotel is a chic hotel in New York City's meat packing district. They cater to a lot of celebrity clients. The hotel says that it is investigating and there's a possibility they will file criminal charges. They call the leak of this tape quote, "a breach of security" and they really want to get to the bottom of it.

As for Jay-Z, Beyonce and Solange, none of them are commenting on why this happened and why Solange was so angry in the first place -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And if they're smart, they'll never comment on it. That's what I would do.

FEYERICK: Let it go.

COSTELLO: I mean it's really none of anyone's business, right? I want to know.

FEYERICK: Yes, we do.

COSTELLO: Sorry. I'm just being honest.

FEYERICK: We'll keep scratching. We'll keep scratching the wound.

COSTELLO: Deborah Feyerick, thanks so much. All new in the next hour of NEWSROOM, for decades famed radio host Casey Kasem counted down the top 40 music. Today, he's gone missing. And now a judge is demanding answers.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a break.

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