Fired Portland Trail Blazers broadcaster Braiden Bell has pleaded with the NBA team for a second chance after he was let go over resurfaced offensive social media posts.
The Trail Blazers fired the 29-year-old last week on the same day that he was hired after misogynistic and racist social media posts shared when he was a teenager resurfaced.
Bell had been hired by the team last Thursday but was axed just hours later after the shocking posts were discovered by KGW in Portland.
The NBA franchise moved quickly following the emergence of the posts, announcing Bell’s dismissal in a statement.
However, the Arizona State graduate, who shared a groveling apology last week, has now formally asked the Trail Blazers for a second chance through a statement shared by his legal counsel.
‘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 from Bell’s counsel Arnie Herz read.
Braiden Bell was fired by the Trail Blazers after controversial historic posts resurfaced
The fired broadcaster has now pleaded with the NBA franchise for a second chance
‘Braiden is not asking anyone to excuse what he wrote,’ Herz said. ‘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, hardly anyone in any organization in America could meet it. Accountability means owning what you did and showing who you have become. Braiden has done both.’
But, despite his pleas, it appears that the Trail Blazers are standing firm on their decision.
‘We stand by our statement issued last week and have no further comment at this time,’ the team said in a statement to The Athletic. ‘We wish Mr. Bell the best.’
The Trail Blazers’ statement last week said that the team has ‘zero tolerance for racist, sexist, or harmful comments.’
It added: ‘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.
‘The play-by-play role carries a long legacy of excellence, on the broadcast and in character, and we hold that standard without exception.
‘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.’
Reporters uncovered racist posts shared by Bell when he was a teenager in December 2012
Misogynistic posts were also found, leading the NBA team to fire him on the day they hired him
Bell was hired as a replacement for Kevin Calabro, who had been the Trail Blazers’ play-by-play voice since 2016. He left for the Minnesota Timberwolves after he said he was offered a ‘subprime’ contract by the Trail Blazers to stay.
The vile posts that brought his time with the team to a swift and abrupt end were shared in 2012 and 2013, when it’s believed Bell was only 15-years-old, and were posted on the account that he still uses for sports commentary.
‘I’m not racist at all.. But not gonna lie.. Asian people p*** me off! Hahaha #honest,’ a post from December 2012 reads.
Another, from November 2012, says: ‘Gotta give a shoutout to all the big girls out there and those closet whores.’
‘We got a slut alert on aisle 10,’ Bell also posted in February 2013. In the same month, he tweeted: ‘Girls these nights… Smh. #ThirstyForTheD.’
While reviewing Bell’s social media activity, KGW found that by the end of 2015 his posts were almost entirely focused on sports.
‘I am deeply sorry for the language that I used on Twitter,’ Bell wrote in a statement posted on X last Friday. ‘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 my 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.’
