Regardless of the findings of an independent investigation the Sixers have launched into president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo, the story may have already caused significant damage, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
A report last night from Ben Detrick of The Ringer presents evidence that Colangelo was operating several anonymous Twitter accounts on which he was criticizing players, coaches and opponents and sharing inside information. Colangelo admitted owning @phila1234567, but said he uses it to monitor social media and has never posted anything. He denied any connection to four others: “Eric jr,” “HonestAbe,” “Enoughunkownsources” and “Still Balling,” all of which issued controversial tweets.
“I think the damage is done,” an unidentified NBA executive told Pompey. “I don’t know if the players can trust him. I think he lost the trust of the players unless it’s proven definitively that it wasn’t him.”
Colangelo, who is attending pre-draft workouts in Los Angeles, was “visibly shaken” Tuesday when he heard about the report, according to Pompey. He has been part of Philadelphia’s front office since April of 2016.
The controversy comes at a crucial time for the Sixers, who hope to make a splash in the free agent market this summer. The team reportedly has interest in both LeBron James and Paul George, but they may look elsewhere if Colangelo remains in charge.
“That’s why they are going to have to definitively prove that it wasn’t him,” the executive added. “You are getting into free agency, and these players aren’t going to take a chance coming to the Sixers.”
There’s more tonight on the story:
- Colangelo could be fired “for cause” if the Sixers determine he used company property, such as computers or phones, in a way that harmed the franchise, according to Michael McCann of Sports Illustrated. McCann advises the Sixers to hire outside attorneys to conduct the investigation, similar to what the Mavericks did when their front office scandal became public. He notes that the NBA constitution allows commissioner Adam Silver to punish a franchise or team employee who damages the interests of the league. If the NBA decides that Colangelo’s actions hurt its relationship with the players’ union, the issue may be covered by labor law.
- Another concern is the effect that revealing inside information could have on gambling, McCann adds in the same piece. NBA analyst Larry Coon points out that the league’s operations manual has a “no tipping” policy that forbids the release of such information to bettors. Coon suggests it’s possible that “gamblers knew Colangelo himself was posting through sock puppet account(s), and therefore his posting of confidential information through those accounts potentially constituted tipping.”
- Colangelo continues to issue strong denials, texting “Someone’s out to get me” and “This is clearly not me,” relays Ryan Young of Yahoo Sports. Colangelo has reached out to some of the people mentioned in the tweets to assure them he wasn’t responsible, adds ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
- Timestamps on some of the Eric jr posts show they were made while Colangelo was addressing the media, notes Rich Hoffman of The Athletic (Twitter links). The Sixers’ investigation may focus on Colangelo’s friends and family, tweets Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports.
- No matter what the investigation finds, Colangelo will have a difficult time keeping his job, contends Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer.