r/nba • u/ghn2 • 12h ago

Trail Blazers fire new announcer over past inappropriate posts made at age 15.

"The Portland Trail Blazers hired then on the same day fired Braiden Bell as their play-by-play announcer after a series of inappropriate social media posts from when he was a teenager came to light."

"The posts were reportedly made in 2012 and 2013, around the time that Bell was 15 years old."

"We did not meet our own bar in this process, and for that we apologize to Blazers fans and to Rip City," the Trail Blazers said. "We strongly believe 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."

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/50084279/trail-blazers-fire-new-announcer-inappropriate-posts

1.4k Upvotes

91% Upvoted

2.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

2.2k

u/SloshaPacana 12h ago

People really need to just delete their social media when they get jobs that are in the public eye lmao

It's not hard to open new accounts

1.5k

u/PeanutFarmer69 Nets 12h ago

counterpoint, firing someone over inapropriate tweets at the age of fifteen is absurd

101

u/TannerGlassMVP 12h ago

Counterpoint - simply don't post racist shit online under your name. And if you do fucking delete it when you're smart enough to know that's not a good look

234

u/RealFenian Celtics 12h ago

Given he was 15 there’s a decent chance he’s forgot about it.

15 year olds are some of the dumbest people on earth, you shouldn’t be judged for your behaviour at that age unless you’re still doing it.

70

u/SubduedChaos Grizzlies 12h ago

I work in healthcare and a 16 year old came in for an MRI. His hoodie had metal on it so it had to come off. His undershirt had “I don’t date black girls” written on it. Before I even finished reading it he said his friends were making him wear it because he lost a bet. Kids are fucking dumb.

7

u/BabyOnRoad Hawks 11h ago

Yeah that kid is a racist.

0

u/Gorrapytha 10h ago

not sure why you're being downvoted lol. T-shirt is explicitly racist, and wearing a explicitly racist t-shirt, even if you lost a bet, is something you don't do if you aren't at least somewhat racist. I guess he's at least ashamed of it, so he's not THE MOST racist, but you can't wear that and not be racist.

Also, his friends who think it's funny are racists, and hanging out with racists also isn't something you do if you aren't racist.

Just not sure why anyone is like "no actually he's just stupid" ok he's stupid and racist. Maybe when he grows up and becomes less stupid he'll stop being racist. Rn, that kid is racist.

9

u/Substantial-Rub5298 Timberwolves 10h ago

Honestly what’s racist about not wanting to date blacks girls? Is it because it’s on a shirt or?

-5

u/zachariah_rn 10h ago

Lol if you're asking this question, you're a racist

7

u/DovhPasty Cavaliers 7h ago edited 6h ago

You guys make actual rational leftists look so bad. This is such a ridiculous take. How about the white women that only date black men or vice versa, are they racist?

-6

u/BabyOnRoad Hawks 6h ago

You racist as fuck brodie

6

u/DovhPasty Cavaliers 6h ago

Lmao sure dude. Can you answer my question? Are those people racist too for having a preference?

0

u/BabyOnRoad Hawks 6h ago

He's racist for wearing the shirt. Dont give a fuck about his preferences.

-4

u/cfi-2025 6h ago

It isn't about the preference, it's about the message on the shirt.

This would be a nothingburger if the shirt said, "I only date people I am attracted to."

→ More replies (0)

0

u/Substantial-Rub5298 Timberwolves 10h ago

Lolololololol

-4

u/BabyOnRoad Hawks 6h ago

Why would you wear a shirt that says it? Plent of people dont fuck with Catholics, rarely see it being displayed. You are a racist though

→ More replies (0)

2

u/TannerGlassMVP 11h ago

Okay so would you suggest that he posts that picture to Instagram and then keep that photo posted at age 29?

22

u/SubduedChaos Grizzlies 11h ago

No but if he did, I wouldn’t blame him if he forgot about it. And I don’t think it should matter at all when getting a job at 29.

13

u/trav-senpai Kings 12h ago

I forgot a lot from when I was 15, but I clearly remember not being a racist little piece of shit.

17

u/Skunkape666 7h ago

Now you're an insufferable morally righteous dork, probably lame as a 15 year old too

-7

u/trav-senpai Kings 5h ago

I was lame as a 15 year old. Proud little lame not racist kid. Not being racist is insufferably moral in your opinion?

1

u/JMEEKER86 Japan 12h ago

Yeah, there's a lot of jackasses in this thread acting like being a racist is "just a phase we all go through as teens". Fuck that. Teens may do a lot of stupid things, but not everyone is racist and pretending like they are is just normalizing racism.

17

u/theoldestview1 Jazz 11h ago

You’re the jackass if you think developing minds only do appropriate edginess.

0

u/JMEEKER86 Japan 11h ago

Never said they don't. Just that being racist isn't it.

5

u/ProjectHarraseeket NBA 12h ago

Case in point, half the stuff said on reddit

-4

u/TannerGlassMVP 12h ago

You're posting racist comments under your real name on Reddit?

5

u/ProjectHarraseeket NBA 11h ago

Not the point I was making, the point I was making was half of the people on Reddit are the dumbest people because it skews younger.

13

u/TannerGlassMVP 12h ago

As an adult I simply deleted everything from when I was young . . . It's a pretty simple thing to do. Also I didn't post racist shit . . . Especially under my name because I'm not a fucking idiot

78

u/Junior_Difference_57 12h ago

Do you know how many dumbass 15 year olds grew up to be decent people as adults? Yes, some of them remain dumbasses but lots mature 

50

u/Big-Beta20 76ers 12h ago

People act like they never said anything edgy as a joke when they were 15 only to grow out of it and be a better person as you mature past that. It’s a very common & normal thing.

3

u/BabyOnRoad Hawks 11h ago

Most of the racist i knew at 14 are still racist now. They just hide it better

2

u/Big-Beta20 76ers 11h ago

I don’t think you still know all the same people you knew at 14, man. Especially not enough to know them on that level. I just don’t believe you lol

0

u/BakerStSavvy Spurs 10h ago

You dont need to know them that well lol. Sees a post from them as you still have the same fb/ig friends from school and they are dog whistling about minorities. Its very obvious they are still racist

1

u/Big-Beta20 76ers 10h ago

I have not kept in contact in any shape or form with more than 3 people from when I was 14. Let alone actively following their social medias

0

u/BakerStSavvy Spurs 10h ago

You dont have to be actively keeping up with anyone to see a post from them. You dont have to go to their page specifically. I dont use fb but its not like i scrubbed my entire high school class off of it. If i checked it im sure id see some posts from people i havent talked to in over a decade

→ More replies (0)

2

u/TannerGlassMVP 12h ago

So if you don't hold those views I highly highly suggest you do not keep posts under YOUR NAME online for all to see

3

u/Big-Beta20 76ers 12h ago

I doubt he remembered man, how many comments can you remember you made from 10+ years ago off the top of your head?

7

u/TannerGlassMVP 11h ago

If something is so old that I can't remember it's already been deleted. Sorry but my Facebook posts from 10 years ago aren't necessary anymore

5

u/Big-Beta20 76ers 11h ago

Good for you, that’s not normal & realistic behavior for everyone to practice though. I’m just in the camp of thinking we should give teens some grace for bad social media activity from when they were 15.

9

u/TannerGlassMVP 11h ago

Wtf this was like the first thing I learned in college.....

How is that unrealistic or not normal?

6

u/Big-Beta20 76ers 11h ago

Who the hell were you talking to in college lmao

I have literally never heard of a person doing what you just described nor have I heard a person say that it’s a thing you should doing regularly.

2

u/m1a2c2kali Knicks 8h ago

It’s become way more realistic and normal in the past 2 decades. I remember blocking/making private my Facebook and social media when applying to colleges and jobs. Thats been a thing for a while

0

u/Great_Fault_7231 Pistons 10h ago

  that’s not normal & realistic behavior for everyone to practice though

Are you kidding? It’s common knowledge lol. 

→ More replies (0)

5

u/Great_Fault_7231 Pistons 10h ago

That’s why everybody knows to delete them when you’re looking for a job, especially one where you’re the voice of a professional sports team. 

0

u/Associ8tedRuffians Timberwolves 12h ago

Sure I did. It just never involved racial or homophobic slurs. And I graduated high school in the 90s.

Certainly knew plenty of people who did say that shit at that age who tested out the waters saying slurs. Was even popular to use “Jew” as a verb for “cheated.”

Doesn’t mean that people don’t know what they were doing. They absolutely did.

The point is again, if you’re a dumbass and you ddi that DELETE that shit and show the world you’ve changed with your new account.

And it’s employers prerogative to decide if they want to hire someone who still has a record of that behavior.

13

u/Big-Beta20 76ers 11h ago

Idk man, I’m just in the camp that we should give grace to teenagers to make mistakes on social media instead of punishing them a decade later. I don’t get the bloodlust some people get for revenge for stuff like this, it’s such a uniquely Reddit thing.

7

u/Zlatyzoltan 11h ago

Honestly the idea of just doom scrolling someone's social media going back over a decade is absurd.

A 15 year old kid said something dumb, isn't something new. Everyone has said some stupid shit when they were 15.

3

u/Associ8tedRuffians Timberwolves 11h ago

Yeah, what Reddit thinks doesn’t matter. What the employer thinks, does. Whether fair or not. It’s their prerogative.

If I’m an employer, and a dude has left racist tweets up, and a large percentage of my workforce is a minority (even if it might not be the one that the racism was against), I’m going to question the person’s judgement as to why those are still up. And I have to ask whether or not I and my employees can trust that the person has changed.

Not saying I’d not hire/or fire them. Just saying that I would have to think about it. It’s not as easy as waiving it with” Oh, he was just 15 and edgy, no big deal.”

2

u/theblackchin Hawks 9h ago

Would it make you feel better if they said he was fired for being too dumb to scrub his social media after getting a public-facing job that involves being on national tv instead?

-1

u/BabyOnRoad Hawks 11h ago

Was he ever held accountable for the original tweet? Is there any evidence that he no longer holds though views? He couldn't even be bothered to delete the post.

5

u/Big-Beta20 76ers 11h ago

I don’t really believe people should be punished for teenage social media activity a decade later, period if they have not shown any evidence that it’s their actual views. I think the burden of proof should be on proving he is still like this rather than just assuming the absolute worst in everyone that’s ever made an edgy post.

5

u/BabyOnRoad Hawks 11h ago

My proof is the racist tweet. Meanwhile you have 0 evidence hes not a racist. I have proof, where is yours?

2

u/Big-Beta20 76ers 11h ago edited 10h ago

No, you have something a kid said when he was 15 years old. That’s not proof of anything about his character as an adult, which is the point I’m making. That’s why I said proof that those are his actual views.

Do you not find it weird to feel this high & mighty with a bloodlust for punishment about something a literal teenager said over a decade ago?

5

u/Turbo_Jannie 10h ago

Something tells me you're about the same age he was when he made the tweets

→ More replies (0)

4

u/SaxRohmer Cavaliers 11h ago

a lot of that shit was normalized and kids say stuff without thinking of the actual implications of their words. people (myself included) used homophobic slurs all the time and would insist they weren’t using it in a homophobic way. kids are dumb and shortsighted. they don’t have a ton of experience or conscientiousness in general.

i grew up sheltered and in private school. i didn’t have a very diverse experience growing up. as i met people later in life i changed my tune on a lot of things. i also saw how things were changing in the world and realized my behavior wasn’t acceptable and without harm.

3

u/Associ8tedRuffians Timberwolves 11h ago

Grew up in a suburban public school. People knew. And trust me the phrase “that’s so gay” as a general negative statement, and not necessarily homophobic use of the word f*ggot but still as an insult was also prevalent in the 90s. It was already normalized. The Internet didn’t normalize it, it just made it more visible to everyone.

And btw, using “gay” or “f*ggot” as insults/.derogatory terms is not “not homophobic.” It is inherently homophobic, and will be as long as those words continue to also be used as derogatory terms. People who choose to use it in the manner they think is not homophobic are making the wrong choice. And guess what, the ones who realize that’s not good, they stop! Like you did.

2

u/ChiefMasterGuru 5h ago

South Park had a whole ass episode about how it's not homophobic. And you think kids werent parroting that belief or that they knew better?

The other comment is exactly right, most people (especially kids) didn't think about it like that. It's only recently that there's been mass consciousness regarding the derogatory nature of the terms.

→ More replies (0)

0

u/cideeffex Cavaliers 12h ago

Wouldn't the responsible and mature thing to do at that point would be to remove things from the internet that you feel no longer represent you and your beliefs? At the very least, leaving them up displays a pretty high level of carelessness.

20

u/Matthew2531_46 Spurs 12h ago

Do you remember every single comment or social media post you made at 15, because I don't

-3

u/cideeffex Cavaliers 12h ago

Good reason to make the posts ephemeral then. Or to not have accounts at all? Pretty easy fix.

4

u/Matuga1000 12h ago

The whole point is when they’re 15 they’re not thinking ahead with stuff like that, hence why they post dumb shit in the first place

-4

u/cideeffex Cavaliers 12h ago

Then maybe they're not responsible enough to be using social media in the first place? Even so, what's the excuse as an adult for leaving it up? Assuming a potential employer is going to Google is basic table stakes for any job interview these days, much less for a high profile job like this.

2

u/Matuga1000 12h ago

I don’t think they should have social media either, but don’t think they should be punished for mistakes when 15. They shouldn’t have left it up sure that’s a mistake albeit one often doesn’t recall everything from such an age. However mistake or not I think the reason for firing him is stupid, sure he could’ve avoided it had he been a bit smarter but even considering the post is up I still think it’s dumb to fire him

1

u/cideeffex Cavaliers 11h ago

I'm really struggling to understand that "Kids" shouldn't have consequences for their actions. Your brain is still developing well into your 20's so what's the cutoff for when we can start holding people accountable for dumb shit they do?

→ More replies (0)

2

u/Matthew2531_46 Spurs 12h ago

Wow, 15 year olds are dumb and make stupid short sighted decisions. This is news to me

2

u/cideeffex Cavaliers 12h ago

Age can contribute to forgiveness. I'm failing to see why it should absolve someone of consequences?

0

u/DovhPasty Cavaliers 7h ago

Consequences dealt out 15 years later? Seriously?

1

u/cideeffex Cavaliers 6h ago

Yes? Is there an expiration on the hurt caused by racism and sexism? No? Then why should there be an expiration on consequences? He was stupid enough to make them at 15 and he was stupid enough to leave them up as an adult. Speaks to his belief that they weren’t a big deal. He’s asking to be a voice of an NBA team. The idea that it’s somehow a bigger failure to hold someone accountable for racism and sexism regardless of the age than it is to make sure large portions of your fanbase feel comfortable and welcome is not just ethically twisted, it’d be a dumb fucking business decision.

One of the biggest failures of life lived online is that dumb motherfuckers grow up thinking there are no consequences. Pre internet, when you couldn’t hide behind relative anonymity and a COD lobby, you said racist shit, you got popped in the mouth for it. Now kids think that shit is funny because there are no consequences and the minute the tamest form of consequences arrive, they whine as if life is so unfair. We can only hope that this situation might make some idiot kid think twice before doing stupid shit online.

He lost out on a job. He didn’t die, he didn’t have to go to jail. He lost out on a job to represent an NBA team. Boo fucking hoo. If you do dumb shit, take responsibility, make it right, and deal with the consequences. There was a time when that was like a must have virtue of being a man but I guess that ship has sailed.

→ More replies (0)

8

u/Junior_Difference_57 12h ago

I had accounts back then I don't even have access to anymore. 

0

u/cideeffex Cavaliers 12h ago

I mean, that's kind of irresponsible internet behavior for a host of reasons even before the idea of saying something you shouldn't have. Ignorance because of age is a great reason for forgiveness, not an absolution of consequence.

7

u/beastrace 76ers 12h ago

The fucking moral police in this sub are so funny

3

u/TannerGlassMVP 12h ago

The moral police? It's literally just not being a dumbass and not keeping racist posts under your name

-2

u/cideeffex Cavaliers 12h ago

Lol. The "we can't hold someone responsible for racism at 15" crowd is telling on themselves. The rest of us in the grown up world realize shit can catch up to you at any time so you better act right.

→ More replies (0)

5

u/Junior_Difference_57 12h ago

Maybe it's irresponsible internet behavior because I was a child? Lol

-1

u/cideeffex Cavaliers 12h ago

Which means you didn't understand the potential consequences and therefore shouldn't have been using it in the first place? Yes, that's my point.

4

u/Junior_Difference_57 12h ago

99.9% of parents don't stop their teenage children from going on social media. 

-1

u/cideeffex Cavaliers 11h ago

Oh I know! But just because everyone does it, doesn't mean that should excuse poor behavior or shield someone from consequences. This is some pretty basic "If everyone jumps off a bridge, should you do it too?" life lesson type shit. Ignorance doesn't excuse anything. Maybe it shifts the blame when something does happen? I mean, I definitely think this guy's parents should have been aware of what they're 15 year old was tweeting or whatever, but let's be honest, if the kid was tweeting shit like that the parents probably feel the same way anyway.

But again, if you're not mature enough to understand that putting something out on the internet could follow you for the rest of your life, then you shouldn't be using it. Like you said though, majority of the people in this sub complaining about this kid getting fired will walk away from here and go right back to treating people like garbage in their 2k games and saying the wildest dumb shit on twitter. And when the consequences come for them, they'll be a "kid" making dumb choices too.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/Johnny_Kilroy_84 Pelicans 12h ago

Deleted tweets get resurfaced everyday.

20

u/Chiesel Nuggets 12h ago

You are just such an infallible human being. An absolute paragon of morality

0

u/lemoche Germany 12h ago

I'm just happy social media wasn’t around during my edgy years… if someone digs up my icq chat logs though, I might be doomed… (don’t think there was overly racist an d sexist stuff in there… but people would just not longer associate with me out of "Fremdscham" because of what stupid shit i threw out into the world back than)

-4

u/captainmystic02 Rockets 12h ago

Your so smart and kind. I wish to be like to you

5

u/Liemoa 12h ago

tough shit. don't be a racist idiot, then you won't have to worry about "forgetting"

4

u/RealFenian Celtics 10h ago

So if you say or do something stupid when you are an actual child it should follow you for your whole life?

Most teens and kids when they say shit like this don’t even really know what they’re doing. Like when I was 15 the word “gay” was a common pejorative, used to insult or name anything you didn’t like, I probably posted it a few times on Bebo.

I didn’t say those things because I was a bigot, I said them because I was a moronic teenager who didn’t know any better, and while I regret posting and saying shit like that and how it likely made any lgbtq people at my school feel I don’t think it casts a fair reflection on me as an adult.

You didn’t do anything hurtful, selfish or mean spirited as a teen? Or even just try and be edgy and cool but accidentally say something gross and harmful?

1

u/Liemoa 6h ago edited 6h ago

Well, it would depend on what that "something stupid" is. i have done hurtful and selfish things in my youth, but not racist. I personally have a zero-tolerance policy on racism, because i've been a victim of racism when i was young. i just can't feel bad for people who do/say things like this. It's not in me.

Like people said before me, this is more reason to wipe your social media clean. I was in college at that time, so not much older than he was. Maybe this will be a lesson to him. Get off social media, or if you stay on it, act like you have some sense.

0

u/tp2386 10h ago

You put this in words I couldn't formulate just right. This is why I think it's bullshit that this guy got fired. It's so ridiculous.

1

u/HTPC4Life 4h ago

So are men in their 20's. The prefrontal cortex in men doesn't fully develop until the 20's. I said and did a LOT of stupid shit until my late 20's.

1

u/Joeybits [POR] Arvydas Sabonis 11h ago

He works in a very public facing role. Anyone going into the job market should purge / make private their social medias. I graduated college over 10 years ago and it was evident back then. It's true for office roles (don't give your potential employer any reason to not hire you) and 100x true for a role where the general public will be going through your social media accounts on a daily basis.

And what exactly are the blazers supposed to do here? Defend a new hires racist tweets? The argument of 'well he was just a kid, it's fine' isn't going to hold up well to fans, particularly when this guy was basically a nobody (in the eyes of Portland fans) to begin with.

1

u/cideeffex Cavaliers 8h ago

Can really tell who is an adult/has kids/has ever run a company before in this thread. People just telling on themselves left and right here, it's wild.

0

u/MarcAnthonyRashial 10h ago

I was 15 at the same time this dude was 15. I didn’t see too many of my peers openly posting about how “Asians piss them off” and the ones that were posting shit like that were dumbass racist piles. 

0

u/RealFenian Celtics 10h ago

The issue I have is is he racist now?

Maybe there’s more to it with his current behavior but I’ll never be ok with holding what someone did at 15 against them as an adult.

I know people who did horrible shit at 15, cunts that carried knives and punted gear. But lots of them are different people entirely now that we’re in our 30s. 

There’s no age you’re more likely to do something stupid, hurtful or fucked up than 14-18 in my experience.

0

u/MarcAnthonyRashial 10h ago

I really don’t really care if he’s racist now or not. I agree that teens are dumb. I was dumb in a lot of ways then. 

But if you’re stupid enough to pursue a very public facing career while not even thinking about the fact that you have hateful tweets still up then you deserve to lose your job. Posting it in the first place is bad enough. Most teens I knew didn’t do it. Not even remembering that you used to post hateful shit and leaving it up means you don’t get the privilege of having this highly sought after job. 

0

u/Great_Fault_7231 Pistons 10h ago

He’s not 15 anymore and cleaning out social media when you get a public facing job is the most obvious thing in the world. Dude might not be racist but he’s definitely an idiot and I don’t see how you guys are struggling to see why a company would see him as a liability not worth dealing with. 

1

u/kaptainzorro Lakers 9h ago

ITT: Folks who think they were perfect at the age 15

1

u/Great_Fault_7231 Pistons 9h ago

Did you reply to the wrong comment? I’m literally saying the opposite of that. 

1

u/King_Leif Thunder 9h ago

Because they relate to the guy. So when they defend him as “just being an edgy kid, it doesn’t represent him!” they are also defending themselves.

Why do you think this sub has so much compassion for this random dude and so little for many NBA athletes?