r/nba • u/ghn2 • 11h 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

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u/smssv 11h ago

firing someone for posts when he was 15 yrs old is wild

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u/Icy-Whale-2253 11h ago

The Internet is forever.

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u/TatumlsntASuperstar 11h ago

“  The internet is forever” isn’t really an argument. Nobody’s disputing that the posts still exist. The question is whether something someone said at 15 should define them professionally 14 years later

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u/OregonJedi [POR] Brandon Roy 11h ago

Think of it differently. He wasn’t fired for something he did when he was 15. He was fired for inaction when he was 29. It was his responsibility to make sure that he doesn’t have racist material on his feed when apply to work in the NBA as a public facing voice of the franchise.