Luol Deng was player in background report that triggered Atlanta Hawks investigation, per report

The investigation that led to the discovery of Bruce Levenson's email stemmed from a background report on free agent Luol Deng according to a report by ESPN.com's Marc Stein.

ESPN sources say that the player referred to in the initial Hawks' background report that triggered the ensuing investigation was Luol Deng

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) September 8, 2014

The Hawks were among the teams that reportedly pursued Deng heavily this past off season. After a long courtship by several different teams, Deng ultimately signed with the Miami Heat.

The background report came into question at a meeting in June about free agency among Hawks officials. Ferry read from the report that included a racist or insensitive remark. That raised questions among some in the meeting in wake of the Donald Sterling situation in Los Angeles. The Hawks launched an internal investigation which led to the discovery of Levenson's email to Ferry from 2012.