‘You’re garbage for firing him’: Gee condemns racist posts but blasts Blazers’ decision to dismiss broadcaster over teenage comments

The Portland Trail Blazers fired a newly hired television play-by-play broadcaster, Braiden Bell, hours after announcing his hiring Thursday, following KGW’s discovery of racist and misogynistic tweets from 2012 and 2013. Bell, now 29, was around 15 when he posted the comments, which the team said violated its standards and league policies.

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin, co-hosts of “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio, condemned the posts but criticized the firing and questioned whether Bell had been given an opportunity to demonstrate that he had changed.

“If there is no room for somebody to become better after the age of 15, then I don’t know what kind of world y’all want,” Gee said. “Was it racist? Absolutely. Was it ugly? Absolutely. Hey, you know that was wrong, right? You need to apologize for what you did at 15. But the Trail Blazers, respectfully, you’re garbage for firing him.”

Gee questions lasting consequences for teenage behavior

Gee focused on Bell’s age when he wrote the posts.

“Show me the worst thing that you’ve done in your teens, and whatever that is, it gets unearthed, and you present it to the world today, and then, boom, you can lose your employment,” Gee said.

The Blazers told KGW that the broadcaster’s role carries expectations for both on-air work and character. The team also apologized to fans for falling short of its own hiring standards.

Ursula asked whether the dismissal involved anything beyond the teenage posts.

“Have there been any other tweets or social media posts since the age of 15 where the Blazers said, ‘You know what? We don’t need this’?” Ursula asked. “If that’s the only thing that he was fired over, then I fully agree. He should have at the very least been given a chance.”

Ursula calls for considering evidence of change

Ursula described the response she would have preferred from the team.

“If you really want someone, you’re going to fight for them and then say, you know what? Go out there, explain. This was you when you were 15. What you’ve done since. What you’ve learned since,” she said. “And we’ll move forward.”

Bell and his agent had not responded to requests for comment from multiple outlets, according to ESPN’s report Friday.

After a listener suggested a 10-year limit on consequences for internet comments, Ursula questioned whether one rule could cover every situation.

“I think it has to be almost like on a case-by-case basis,” Ursula said.

Gee reflects on mistakes and growing older

Gee discussed his own experiences looking back on behavior he regrets.

“We’ve grown up, we’ve matured a lot. There’s a lot of things that I don’t do anymore that I used to do,” Gee said. “I look back, Ursula, at the things that I used to do, not just as a teen, but as a young adult. I cringe, cringe at some of the things that I used to do. We have to give people an opportunity to grow up.”

He asked listeners to consider how they would respond if someone close to them faced similar consequences.

“Do you have any grace when it’s your child or your loved one that made a mistake at 15, and now they are being demonized?” Gee said.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.