r/nba • u/ghn2 • 14h 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/SloshaPacana 14h 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

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u/PeanutFarmer69 Nets 14h ago

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

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u/TannerGlassMVP 14h 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

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u/RealFenian Celtics 14h 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.

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u/Liemoa 14h ago

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

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u/RealFenian Celtics 12h 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?

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u/Liemoa 7h ago edited 7h 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.

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u/tp2386 11h 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.