Braiden Bell got hired as the Portland Trail Blazers’ play-by-play broadcaster on Thursday, and by Friday, he was fired. That’s not a typo. Just 24 hours after the team announced his “great fit,” a series of offensive tweets from his high school days resurfaced, ripping apart his new gig before he even called a game. Talk about a brutal first impression, huh?
The Tweets That Blew Up a Career
The tweets in question, originally posted between 2012 and 2013 when Bell was just 15 years old, were flat-out unacceptable. We’re talking statements like “Asian people piss me off” and “we got a sl** alert on aisle 10.” Yikes. Bell took to social media on Friday to apologize for the language, acknowledging they were “wrong” and didn’t reflect who he is today. He noted his age at the time, stating the posts were from 14 years ago and he was “only 15 years old.” Bell added that he doesn’t “take lightly any harm it causes now,” and that he regrets this being his “first impression to many of you online,” but knows “the people who truly know me understand that this is not the kind of person I am.” He vowed to “continue to always treat people with kindness and respect.” Before this whirlwind, Bell had spent two seasons calling games for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and had college-level experience.
Blazers’ Swift Reversal and a Pattern of Embarrassment
The Blazers had initially been hyped about Bell, with president of business operations Dewayne Hankins quoted Thursday saying Bell was “a great fit for where we’re headed and an important voice for the next chapter of Trail Blazers basketball.” Well, that enthusiasm died fast. All announcements of Bell’s hire were yanked offline. Later on Friday, the Blazers dropped a statement, not mincing words. They declared “zero tolerance for racist, sexist, or harmful comments,” calling Bell’s social media posts “in clear violation of team and league policies, as well as our values and expectations.” The team confirmed they would “not be moving forward with this broadcaster,” admitting they “did not meet our own bar in this process” and apologizing to “Blazers fans and to Rip City.” They promised their “new broadcaster reflects these values” and vowed, “We will do better.” This whole fiasco just adds to what’s already been a clumsy situation for the Blazers. The play-by-play job was open because longtime broadcaster Kevin Calabro bounced after getting what he called a “subprime” contract offer. That was a clear jab at new Blazers owner Tom Dundon, who made his fortune largely through subprime auto loans and kicked off his ownership with a wave of cost-cutting, including laying off about 70 employees.
What’s Next for Rip City?
So, here we are. The Blazers are now without a permanent play-by-play broadcaster, and preseason games are set to tip off on Wednesday, with the regular season starting Oct. 21. They’ve got to find someone fast, and someone who actually reflects the team’s stated values. This isn’t just about finding a voice for the games; it’s about repairing trust with their fans after a string of self-inflicted wounds.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply