{
  "id": 5231499,
  "title": "Person thought to have sent racist text to Dearica Hamby loses job",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/person-thought-to-have-sent-racist-text-to-dearica-hamby-loses-job",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-03T03:01:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/person-thought-sent-racist-text-030106864.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dearica Hamby, a member of the Los Angeles Sparks, was the recipient of a racially charged text message that led to her former employer's disciplinary actions. Acclaro Medical, a medical device company based in Smithfield, R.I., confirmed the termination of an employee following the incident. The offensive message, posted on August 24, contained derogatory language and an image of a monkey. Hamby's post prompted others to provide information about the text message's origin, leading Acclaro to identify the possible employer. The company initially stated that an employee had been suspended during an ongoing investigation. However, they later confirmed that the individual had been dismissed from Acclaro. The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) issued a strong statement condemning the racist abuse and banned the individual from all league games and events.",
  "summary": "A person believed to have sent a racist text message to Dearica Hamby of the Los Angeles Sparks late last month lost their job, the person’s former employer confirmed to The Athletic on Wednesday. Acclaro Medical, a medical device company in Smithfield, R.I., issued a statement alluding to a “deeply disturbing situation on social media.” The company followed with a statement Wednesday that said,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}