Bryan Colangelo Resigns From 76ers After Twitter Scandal

An investigation revealed that his wife was behind damaging tweets but that Colangelo was careless with sensitive information

June 7, 2018 11:58 a.m. ET

Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo resigned Thursday after an external investigation determined that his wife was behind several anonymous Twitter accounts that disclosed sensitive information and criticized some of the team’s star players.

The inquiry concluded that Colangelo, the Sixers’ top basketball executive, was careless in sharing private, team-related information with his wife, Barbara Bottini, who told investigators that she operated four secret accounts that were identified by the website The Ringer last week.

Colangelo told investigators that he was unaware of his wife’s four accounts, and investigators were unable to establish that he knew of their existence. But the law firm overseeing the probe said that Bottini obstructed its weeklong investigation by resetting her iPhone and deleting its contents.

Evidence collected from several devices surrendered by Colangelo and Bottini eventually corroborated her account, they said.

“Recognizing the detrimental impact this matter had on the organization, Colangelo offered his resignation,” Sixers owner Josh Harris said in a statement.

In a statement, Colangelo disputed that his conduct was “in any way reckless” and said he never “purposefully or directly” shared sensitive, team-related information with his wife.