Steve Ballmer appears ready to move on from the Los Angeles Clippers' Kawhi Leonard scandal after the NBA handed down one of the harshest penalties in league history. The Clippers' owner remarked Sunday that the team will accept the punishment and put the matter behind it.

But his attempt to close the chapter only brought more criticism, with journalist-turned-podcaster Pablo Torre and NBA fans wasting little time ripping into Ballmer.

The scandal traces back to reporting from Torre, who revealed that Leonard had signed a $28 million endorsement deal for what sources described as a "no-show job" with a startup called Aspiration.

In a related development, that reporting triggered a nearly yearlong NBA investigation, and when the league finally revealed its findings, the Clippers came out swinging.

The organization stated it "vehemently rejects the NBA's findings" and vowed to fight the penalties on every available avenue. That defiance is what makes Ballmer's Sunday reversal land as hard as it has.

Ballmer, in his latest statement, noted the situation had been "very difficult" for everyone connected to the Clippers before apologizing to the team's fans, employees, and fellow owners, accepting responsibility as the franchise's principal owner.

Furthermore, dON'T MISS: 'We Had 13 Teams Tanking Last Year' — 4-Time NBA Champion Raises Red Flag About League's Expansion Plans

"We are committing to put this chapter behind us," Ballmer wrote on X. "Team owners should support, not distract."

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver had already set the tone, saying he was "deeply disappointed by the flagrant violations of our rules" and that the severity of the penalties reflected the seriousness of the misconduct.

Additionally, so when Ballmer released his statement, fans perceived it less as an act of accountability and more as a quiet surrender, and vented their frustration online.

Torre, whose reporting started all of this, responded to Ballmer's statement with a simple burger emoji, basically enjoying the latest development as it appears.

"Basically admitted to doing it, bent knee to Silver," one fan remarked.

It is worth noting that another Clippers fan focused on the long-term cost of the punishment, writing, "That man destroyed the entire franchise for next 5+ years and thinks people gonna just move forward."

That reaction makes more sense in the context that the Clippers will spend the back half of the decade without their own first-round picks, while Ballmer serves a full year away from the organization, and the player whose deal caused all of it is already preparing for his next chapter elsewhere.

"CLIPPERS IN POVERTY AND WILL STAY THERE," one fan posted.