The television play-by-play announcer who was fired by the Portland Trail Blazers just hours after getting the job is asking the team for forgiveness.
Braiden Bell, a broadcaster not widely known to NBA fans before he was hired and fired by the Trail Blazers on the same day last Thursday after a couple of inappropriate social media posts from his minor years resurfaced, has asked the organization to reconsider its decision through his legal counsel.
Bell’s attorney, Arnie Herz, said in a statement Monday night that the now 29-year-old is not asking the team or the public to excuse the posts, which were made in 2012 and 2013 when Bell was around 15 years old. Rather to show empathy toward his missteps made during his youth.
“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.”
OutKick reported Herz previously helped San Antonio Spurs broadcaster Jacob Tobey secure reinstatement following his time away from the team this year. He has also advised prominent clients in high-profile sports and media deals, including SiriusXM’s partnership with Tom Brady and Larry Fitzgerald, Greg Olsen’s transition to Fox Sports, Bob Costas’ move to CNN and the launch of Curry Brand with Under Armour.
The request from Bell’s representation comes after he publicly apologized Friday on X, a day after the Blazers rescinded his contract offer. Bell had temporarily made his X account private immediately following his firing, though it has since been made public again.
“I am deeply sorry for the language that I used on Twitter,” Bell wrote on X. “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 the 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.”
A sudden end to his new job
Now, with less than three weeks before the 2026–27 season tips off against the Phoenix Suns at home, the team is back to square one searching for a new television play-by-play announcer.
The Blazers believed they had their answer in Bell, who got his start broadcasting by working with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and the G League’s Valley Suns.
The posts, which were uncovered by a KGW reporter shortly after Portland announced Bell’s hiring, included derogatory comments about Asian people and women. The Blazers said in a social media post that the posts violated team and league policies and that the organization has “zero tolerance for racist, sexist, or harmful comments.”
It continued, “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 team also acknowledged that it had failed to identify the posts during its hiring process.
What Bell’s attorney is proposing
Bell’s legal counsel is now proposing a path that would allow him to return to the broadcast booth while addressing the harm caused by his past comments.
“If that is the standard, there is hardly a person in any organization in America who could meet it,” Herz wrote. “Accountability means owning what you did and showing who you have become. Braiden has done both.”
That could include community and educational programming, including outreach to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and organizations supporting women and girls in sports.
Herz continued, “Few franchises in professional sports have shown more faith in people’s capacity to grow than the Portland Trail Blazers, and that tradition is part of what makes Rip City special. Mr. Bell is asking only to be included in it. … The Blazers have a chance to show what accountability and redemption look like together.”
Herz has also called on the NBA to take part in the conversation, arguing that the league could help establish a broader approach to accountability when offensive conduct occurred during someone’s childhood.
“The NBA has led on social issues before. It can lead here, from moral absolutism toward a culture of accountability, compassion and understanding,” he wrote.
No dice
The Blazers, however, have indicated to The Athletic in a statement they do not plan to reverse their decision. They wrote:
“We stand by our statement issued last week and have no further comment at this time. We wish Mr. Bell the best.”
The situation has renewed online discussions over how employers should evaluate social media posts made years before an employee enters a professional career, particularly when those posts were made as a minor.
Our society shows far more grace to teenagers who committed heinous crimes than it does to teenagers who sent bad tweets. https://t.co/0bC05g3LQu
— Cheese For Everyone! (@CheeseForEvery1) October 2, 2026
As noted in the Blazers’ initial firing, teams and networks have increasingly taken action over conduct away from the broadcast booth, including recent cases involving broadcasters Tony Romo and Mark Sanchez. Those situations involved adult conduct and are different from Bell’s teenage posts, but they reflect the growing expectation that broadcasters’ behavior — both past and present — can become part of the professional standards their employers enforce.
While it’s a different situation, Tobey was also involved in an off-the-air issue this summer. He stepped away from the Spurs in July after social media rumors surfaced online that he had been unfaithful with the sister of Spurs player. The team kept the details quiet, but Tobey returned in September, acknowledging he had to work on rebuilding trust with the organization and fans.
Bell had been set to replace longtime Blazers television play-by-play announcer Kevin Calabro and join returning analyst Lamar Hurd on the team’s broadcasts.
Instead, Portland is now searching for another announcer before the home opener on Oct. 21 against the Suns.