Trail Blazers fire Braiden Bell in less than a day over resurfaced social media posts
On Thursday, Joe Freeman of The Oregonian and Oregon Live reported that the Portland Trail Blazers planned to hire Braiden Bell as the team’s new television play-by-play announcer. By Thursday night, the Trail Blazers announced that Bell, formerly a broadcaster for the Phoenix Mercury, would not be moving forward in the role after concerning, years-old social…
The Portland Trail Blazers have abruptly terminated Braiden Bell’s contract as the team’s prospective television play-by-play announcer, just a day after announcing his hire. The decision came following the resurfacing of years-old social media posts containing misogynistic and racist content from Bell’s past. The Trail Blazers, known for their zero-tolerance policy against discriminatory remarks, deemed Bell’s posts as a clear violation of their values and team policies.
In a statement, the organization apologized for not meeting their own standards during the hiring process and pledged to ensure that future employees reflect the welcoming and safe environment they strive to foster. Bell’s social media accounts are now private, and the Trail Blazers are currently seeking a replacement for Kevin Calabro, who departed after a contract dispute.
This incident adds to a series of controversial decisions and layoffs under the ownership of Tom Dundon, highlighting the challenges of maintaining consistency in a rapidly changing sports landscape.
Brief written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
