Colangelo said that his wife was attempting to stick up for him against criticism from the media and fan baseNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
The 76ers and President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo's decision on Thursday to part ways "brought a conclusion to a dramatic national story that had reporters, cyber sleuths, and die-hard NBA fans with social media savvy combing the internet for clues while frustrating an energetic base of Sixers fans who sat wondering how and when the saga would end," according to front-page piece by Keith Pompey of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. 76ers co-Owner Josh Harris said that the "search for Colangelo's replacement will begin immediately." Harris: "Ultimately, Bryan offered his resignation, realizing the detrimental way that these circumstances impacted our organization and his ability to do his job effectively." Pompey notes law firm Paul Weiss, which was hired to investigate the Twitter controversy, said in a statement that its investigation was "limited and impeded" by Colangelo's wife, Barbara Bottini, who "cleared her iPhone of evidence by doing a factory reset before she handed it over." But earlier this week, Bottini "admitted she created and shared information on the accounts." Because of the destruction of evidence, the firm "couldn’t conclude if Colangelo did know about Bottini’s four secret accounts before The Ringer made the Sixers and Colangelo aware of them on May 22" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/8).
NUTS & BOLTS: Harris said of coach Brett Brown, who will serve as interim GM, "My hope is that Brett's going to be out being a great salesman for our franchise. ... We got to attract the best in the league." In Pennsylvania, Daniel Gallen noted Harris "wouldn't put a timetable on the search" for a new GM. He said that the 76ers would only have a new GM in place by the end of June "if it was the right candidate." Brown said he has "no desire" to take over basketball operations duties on a full-time basis (PENNLIVE.com, 6/7). Meanwhile, Harris said 76ers Special Advisor Jerry Colangelo, Bryan's father, was "not involved with the process in any way." Harris: "I am aware of the press report it’s just not true.” In Philadelphia, Katie McInerney notes Harris was referencing a report that Colangelo was "trying to interfere with the decision to keep his son on board." Harris said, “Jerry was respectful of the process” (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/8). The INQUIRER's Pompey tweeted Jerry Colangelo "will remain" with the team as an advisor "through the end of the year" (TWITTER.com, 6/7).
THE LIFE OF THE WIFE: In Philadelphia, Sarah Todd notes Bryan Colangelo in a personal statement "fiercely denied" having any knowledge of what his wife was up to on her "various social media accounts" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/8). Colangelo said that his wife was "attempting to stick up for him against criticism from the media and fan base." He said, "Her actions were a seriously misguided effort to publicly defend and support me." Colangelo also "denied that the tweets -- which were critical of players" such as C Joel Embiid and G Markelle Fultz -- "represented his viewpoint" (PENNLIVE.com, 6/7). In N.Y. Cacciola & Mather write under the header, "The Story Of The Wife Who Defended Her Husband In A Way That Left Him Unemployed" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/8).
COULD NOT STAY: THE ATHLETIC's Rich Hofmann writes this was an "embarrassing story for the Sixers" (THEATHLETIC.com, 6/8). In Philadelphia, Andrew Kulp wrote the extent to which Colangelo was aware of or participated in burner accounts was "always irrelevant." Kulp: "He had to go, and he had to go now." This situation was "never about whether Colangelo was right or wrong, guilty or not guilty." It was about the "trust that was destroyed and would likely never be fully regained between a president of basketball operations and the Sixers’ coaches and players" (NBCSPORTSPHILADELPHIA.com, 6/7). Also in Philadelphia, David Murphy writes the situation was "one of those rare bombshells that left little to debate." He "had to go, and you have to think that even he knew it." Murphy: "The reality is that Colangelo, like many of us, is eminently replaceable" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/8). ESPN's Pablo Torre said Colangelo "got the maximum courtesy available to him this week" ("High Noon," ESPN, 6/7). SPORTSNET.ca's Michael Grange wrote Colangelo "went down fighting" and there is "no surprise there." He was "known for his willingness to scrap." One of the reasons "so many people were quick to believe Colangelo was in some way involved was because of that prickliness." How Colangelo "rebuilds from this is the process that may take years and has no clear path ahead" (SPORTSNET.ca, 6/7).
LEGALLY SPEAKING: SI.com's Michael McCann wrote by resigning, Colangelo "ostensibly -- but not really -- leaves his employment with the 76ers on his own accord." Colangelo and the 76ers "probably also negotiated a termination agreement that sets the terms of his departure." Such an agreement "might, for instance, extinguish the team’s ability to bring potential legal claims against Colangelo." In exchange, Colangelo "may have pledged to take full and sole responsibility for the disclosure of information to his wife and absolved everyone else who works for the 76ers." He may also have "agreed to cooperate in any subsequent investigations, including those launched by the NBA and any state and federal agencies." Further, he "may have consented to defending the 76ers in any third-party litigation (such as if a player sues the team over the tweets and information disclosure)." In reality, resigning was the "least bad of several bad choices for Colangelo" (SI.com, 6/7).
IS THIS WHERE WE'RE AT NOW? CBS Sports Net's Adam Schein said, "It's wild to think Twitter just got a GM fired" ("Time to Schein," CBSSN, 6/7). ESPN's Jemele Hill: "Can we just let this sink in that in 2018 an NBA GM was fired for tweets from his wife's burner account and that is why the NBA has overtaken the NFL in terms of most entertaining professional sports league" ("Highly Questionable," ESPN, 6/7).
