Bryan Colangelo, the current general manager and president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, has been accused of using alternate Twitter accounts to criticize the players that have been a part of the organization.
In addition to current staff, he also frequently used the account to openly comment on the job of former Philly GM Sam Hinkie.
BC has done nothing but clean up hinkie's mess. Hinkie got great pieces but could make the puzzle work.
— Eric jr (@AlVic40117560) January 22, 2017
In response to the allegations, Colangelo said that “like many of my colleagues in sports, I have used social media as a means to keep up with the news. While I have never posted anything whatsoever on social media, I have used the @Phila1234567 Twitter account referenced in this story to monitor our industry and other current events. This storyline is disturbing to me on many levels, as I am not familiar with any of the other accounts that have been brought to my attention, nor do I know who is behind them or what their motives may be in using them.”
It is alleged that Colangelo has used up to 5 secret accounts as outlets for his public debates of team decisions and player performance. Some may think that there is no way that the former NBA Executive of the Year Award winner could have been so careless and would openly critique his players online, but there is evidence that suggests otherwise.
According to the source that leaked the story to The Ringer, “They all have a pattern of likes, follows, and tweets which are extraordinarily similar.” They all follow accounts linked with the Sixers players and front office, writers and other media coverage, and the University of Chicago Basketball team (where his son plays college basketball). Furthermore, some of the accounts have even tweeted identical images.
Since the story broke, the 76ers have launched an internal investigation into Colangelo and his social media habits. Here’s their statement:
Here is the Sixers’ statement on Colangelo. pic.twitter.com/emkehLWQVA
— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) May 30, 2018
While this doesn’t seem like the biggest deal, it is still rather disheartening, especially for such an up-and-coming team. Hopefully, the 76ers can keep drama like this away from the court next season.
Featured Image Via Flickr/RMTip21
