Blazers fire newly hired play-by-play broadcaster after finding old racist tweets
The Blazers had to take immediate action and fire their newly-hired play-by-play commentator after old racist and sexist tweets resurfaced.
The Portland Trail Blazers franchise is under new management, with Tom Dundon seizing control of the team from the Allen family by purchasing the team for a valuation of $4.25 billion. Dundon has then proceeded to clean house in the name of cutting costs. Kevin Calabro, the team’s play-by-play commentator from 2016 to 2026, decided to leave his post after being lowballed in contract extension talks, paving the way for a new voice to take Calabro’s place.
Early on Thursday, the Blazers had decided on Calabro’s replacement, bringing on Braiden Bell to be the team’s play-by-play commentator alongside color commentator and analyst Lamar Hurd. However, the Blazers did not waste much time before firing Bell from his new position after old tweets of his containing racist and sexist remarks resurfaced, as per NBA insider Chris Haynes.
Bell made those tweets back in 2012 and 2013, and considering that he’s 29 years of age at the moment, he posted those remarks back when he was 15 or 16 years old.
The Blazers stated in a post on X that they have a zero tolerance policy for racist, sexual, or harmful comments, and Bell violated that policy, hence the team’s decision to remove him from the job mere hours after it was announced that he had gotten it.
Some argued on X that this was a rather harsh decision from the Blazers considering that Bell made those tweets when he was a teenager. People can change and mature over time, but instead, Bell is paying the price for mistakes he made over a decade ago.
The Blazers also did not do their due diligence if they offered Bell the job and Bell had accepted before they even made any thorough background checks that would have confirmed that he had indeed violated the team’s zero tolerance policy.
This is simply the latest chapter in a growing saga for the Blazers under the Dundon regime, as the new owner continues to gut the team by axing several front office members and looking to nickel and dime everything concerning the franchise he went out of his way to purchase.
The Portland Trail Blazers franchise is under new management, with Tom Dundon seizing control of the team from the Allen family by purchasing the team for a valuation of $4. 25 billion. Dundon has then proceeded to clean house in the name of cutting costs.