Braiden Bell Seeks Blazers Reinstatement After Firing Over Teen Tweets
Bell was fired over social media posts he made as a teenager.
Braiden Bell is seeking reinstatement with the Portland Trail Blazers following his termination for tweets he posted as a teenager. Last week, the Blazers announced the hiring of Bell, but they promptly rescinded the offer after a reporter for local NBC affiliate KGW found that the tweets were insensitive to women and Asians. Braiden's attorney, Arnie Herz, stated in a press release that Bell is not asking for an excuse to be made for his past words.
Instead, he is asking if Bell's history from fourteen years ago should outweigh everything he has accomplished since. Herz also represented Jacob Tobey, who was fired by the Spurs after his girlfriend accused him of cheating on her with the sister of a player. Tobey was later reinstated to his position. Bell, 29, had previously worked for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and G League’s Valley Suns.
Within hours of his hiring, a KGW reporter uncovered Bell's insensitive tweets from 2012 and 2013. One tweet read, "Gotta give a shoutout to all the big girls out there and those closet whores," and another stated, "I’m not racist at all.. But not gonna lie.. Asian people piss me off! Hahaha #Honest." The Blazers made it clear that they have zero tolerance for racist, sexist, or harmful comments.
Bell later apologized, stating that the tweets were written when he was 15 and have no reflection of who he is today. The organization emphasized that they do not believe in a standard that no one can meet or actually believe in. However, the Blazers have not reversed their decision to terminate Bell, stating that they stand by their initial statement.
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