The Portland Trail Blazers have terminated Braiden Bell, their newly hired play-by-play announcer, after a review of his past social media activity uncovered racist and sexist posts from when he was 15 years old.
The team had recently praised Bell for being “authentic” and a “great fit,” but within hours of his hiring, the organization fired him following reports of remarks posted in 2012 and 2013.
One post from 2012 read: “I’m not racist at all… But not gonna lie… Asian people piss me off! Hahaha Honest.” Another featured the text: “Gotta give a shoutout to all the big girls out there and those closet whores. BigUps.”
In a statement, the Trail Blazers emphasized their zero tolerance for comments that violate team and league policies or their values, stating: “Therefore, we will not be moving forward with this broadcaster.” They also added: “Everyone … should feel welcome and safe.”
Critics have pointed out the irony of firing Bell over social media posts made as a minor, when Oregon state law allows juveniles to have their records expunged for serious crimes. OutKick founder Clay Travis remarked: “If we don’t hold people accountable for crimes as minors, holding people accountable for Tweets is beyond absurd.”
