The Philadelphia 76ers and their President of Basketball Operations, Bryan Colangelo, have reportedly agreed to part ways following the team's investigation into his burner accounts on twitter. The scandal was first revealed about a week ago via an investigation by The Ringer's Ben Detrick.
The Sixers then launched their own private investigation, concluding that Colangelo shared private team-related information with his wife, Barbara Bottini, who admitted to investigators that she operated four secret twitter accounts. According to the Wall Street Journal, Colangelo told investigators that he was unaware of the burner accounts.
"We do not believe that Mr. Colangelo established the Twitter accounts or posted content on those accounts," the investigating firm said in a statement.
"The evidence supports the conclusion that Ms. Barbara Bottini, Mr. Colangelo’s wife, established the Twitter accounts and posted content on those accounts. When interviewed, Ms. Bottini admitted establishing and operating the accounts. Forensic evidence corroborates her admissions."
Colangelo's departure will be described as a resignation rather than him being fired.
“Recognizing the detrimental impact his matter had on the organization, Colangelo offered his resignation,” Sixers owner Josh Harris said in a statement.
Now the question is, who will the Sixers hire to replace Colangelo?
For the time being, head coach Brett Brown will oversee basketball operations throughout the offseason until a permanent general manager is found. One candidate that has surfaced in light of the Colangelo scandal is former Cleveland Cavaliers GM David Griffin.
LeBron James, who you might have heard will be a free agent this summer, praised Griffin for his work with the Cavs and pushed for him to receive a contract extension before both parties agreed to split. With the Sixers being one of the few teams that LeBron will reportedly consider this summer, bringing Griffin on board seems like a smart play.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1004753979404931072
https://twitter.com/_/status/1004755435092697088
https://twitter.com/_/status/1004756902566334464
https://twitter.com/_/status/1004754988206260225
https://twitter.com/_/status/1004754730399215616
