The bad PR did NOT come from Sterling - it came from those who broke two laws, illegal recording and illegal dissemination. That’s what people don’t get - Sterling was privately offensive in a way that LEGALLY did NOT harm the NBA. And because of that, HE did not violate his “no bad PR” clause.
No it came from Sterling’s behavior being caught on tape. It doesn’t matter if he thought it was private, it doesn’t matter if his girlfriend broke the law making it not private. A tape came out of HIM saying things that generated bad press, so indeed he broke the no bad press rule. Not on purpose, but most folks generating bad press don’t do so on purpose, doesn’t change the fact that HE is the one that said the things that damaged the shield.