The Philadelphia 76ers have accepted a resignation from general manager and president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo, Sixers Managing Partner Josh Harris said in a statement on Thursday.
Colangelo’s decision to leave the franchise comes after a week-long investigation from both the Sixers and independent outlets into his usage of undercover social media accounts.
“An independent investigation by New York-based law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP was conducted into certain anonymous social media accounts that posted information concerning the club, personnel, and related topics, Harris stated in the release. “It has become clear Bryan’s relationship with our team and his ability to lead the 76ers moving forward has been compromised.”
Sixers head coach Brett Brown has been appointed to oversee basketball operations for the time being, with the franchise’s most important offseason in recent memory around the corner.
Bryan Colangelo’s wife, Barbara Bottini, admitted to running each of the anonymous social media accounts. At times the accounts posted sensitive info that only those close to the team would know, leading to an investigative story by The Ringer last month.
Colangelo vigorously disputed the claims and released his own statement Thursday.
“I vigorously dispute the allegation that my conduct was in any way reckless,” he wrote. “At no point did I ever purposefully or directly share any sensitive, non-public, club-related information with her.
“Her actions were a seriously misguided effort to publicly defend and support me, and while I recognize how inappropriate these actions were, she acted independently and without my knowledge or consent. Further, the content she shared was filled with inaccuracies and conjecture which in no way represents my own views or opinion. While this was obviously a mistake, we are a family and webwill work through this together.”
Despite the unfortunate situation, the 76ers remain focused on the ultimate goal of winning a championship. They will begin their search for a new general manager immediately.
“We find the situation to be disappointing for our entire organization,” Harris stated in the release. “We are determined to continue the tremendous progress we have made over the last two seasons in our quest to win an NBA championship.”
