Former Portland Trail Blazers play-by-play announcer, Braiden Bell, and his attorney are demanding his reinstatement. The team dismissed Bell just hours after hiring him due to resurfaced tweets from over a decade ago. Bell, 29, was to replace Kevin Calabro and become the NBA’s youngest lead broadcaster after moving from the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.
The controversy began when tweets Bell wrote at age 15 reappeared online. In December 2012, Bell tweeted, “I’m not racist at all.. But not gonna lie.. Asian people p— me off! Hahaha #Honest.” Another tweet from July 2013 read, “no blacks either. #racist.”
Bell has sought the expertise of sports employment attorney Arnie Herz, known for representing San Antonio Spurs broadcaster Jacob Tobey in a similar case. Herz, in a statement to OutKick, called on the Blazers to reconsider Bell’s dismissal.
“Should the worst words a fifteen-year-old ever wrote decide the rest of his life? That is the question now before the Portland Trail Blazers,” the statement read. “Braiden is not asking anyone to excuse what he wrote. He has owned it, without excuses. What he is asking is whether a boy’s words from fourteen years ago should outweigh everything the man has done since. If that is the standard, there is hardly a person in any organization in America who could meet it. Accountability means owning what you did and showing who you have become. Braiden has done both.”
Bell also expressed remorse for his past statements, issuing an apology.
“I am deeply sorry for the language that I used on Twitter. These tweets, while wrong, were written by me 14 years ago while I was only 15 years old and have no reflection of who I am today. I do not take lightly any harm it causes now. I regret this being the first impression to many of you online, but I can take solace in knowing that the people who truly know me understand that this is not the kind of person I am. Again, I’d like to apologize to anyone who was hurt by my words and will continue to always treat people with kindness and respect.”
The Blazers terminated Bell without placing him on administrative leave, citing their policies.
“The Portland Trail Blazers have zero tolerance for racist, sexist, or harmful comments. Social media posts made by our recently announced play-by-play broadcaster are in clear violation of team and league policies, as well as our values and expectations. Therefore, we will not be moving forward with this broadcaster,” their statement said. “The play-by-play role carries a long legacy of excellence, on the broadcast and in character, and we hold that standard without exception.”
The organization acknowledged its own failings during the hiring process.
“We did not meet our own bar in this process, and for that, we apologize to Blazers fans and to Rip City. We believe strongly that everyone who is a part of Rip City should feel welcome and safe, and we will make sure that our new broadcaster reflects these values. We will do better.”
When asked about the calls for reinstatement, the Trail Blazers reinforced their position.
“We stand by our statement issued last week and have no further comment at this time. We wish Mr. Bell the best.”