The Phoenix Suns fired Gene Traylor, their director of safety, security and risk management, on Friday after he filed a discrimination lawsuit against the organization, ESPN has learned. Traylor joined the team in January 2023 and sued the Suns in federal court in May.
The organization cited policy violations regarding confidential security information as the reason for termination. An independent investigation concluded Traylor was “intentionally untruthful” with investigators, according to team officials.
Traylor’s legal team disputed the Suns’ explanation, calling the investigation a “pretext” for retaliation. Attorney Courtney Walters said the termination was rooted in retaliation rather than policy violations.
“The so-called ‘independent investigation’ was a pretext and a convenient cover to justify a termination rooted in retaliation, not truth,” Walters said.
The attorneys plan to file a discovery request for all materials related to the investigation that led to Traylor’s firing.
Traylor’s lawsuit detailed multiple security audit failures at the Suns’ arena. Phoenix Police conducted field tests in December 2023 and December 2024, with officers successfully bringing weapons into games undetected.
The NBA also conducted a surprise security audit in February 2025 that the Suns reportedly failed. Three team sources told ESPN the organization has failed multiple league security audits since 2024.
Traylor represents the fifth current or former employee to file a federal lawsuit against the Suns in a 10-month span. The most recent case involved former Mercury coach Nikki Blue alleging discrimination and retaliation.