76ers president Bryan Colangelo is back on the job amid a probe into multiple Twitter accounts tied to him that revealed sensitive information and sharply criticized many people, including Philadelphia players.
Could Colangelo maintain his position long-term?
John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia:
While the Sixers’ investigation into president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo’s Twitter fiasco is ongoing, the general belief within the Sixers’ organization is that it believes Bryan Colangelo’s assertion he had no knowledge of the Twitter accounts, did not send the messages or had known the messages were being sent, according to a source.
The Sixers are trying to decide if they can go forward with Colangelo after sensitive team information went public.
Even if Colangelo knew nothing of the accounts until The Ringer reported on them, that wouldn’t completely absolve him. Many questions must be answered:
Did Colangelo share private information with whoever ran the accounts? If it were his wife and he truly had no idea she’d share it publicly, is that a fireable offense? What leeway do people have to talk about work with their spouses?
Does Colangelo share the views of the tweeters? Would relationships be irreparably damaged if Colangelo’s opinions of people – including current 76ers Joel Embiid and Markelle Fultz – are now public? Even if there is just perception of Colangelo’s opinions, is that too harmful for him to keep his job? How much could we separate Colangelo’s opinions from his wife’s?
Remember, too, Colangelo denied knowing who was behind the accounts as recently as at least Thursday, two days after the story broke. If it was his wife, did she really not come clean to him during that initial time of crisis? Even if Colangelo didn’t know as she were doing it, him lying after the fact could be very damaging for someone desperately trying to prove he’s still trustworthy.
I don’t know whether the 76ers are right to believe Colangelo, but if he truly knew nothing of the accounts while they were active, that only makes their impending decision more complex.
