Ex-NBA Broadcaster Files Wrongful Termination Lawsuit After Firing Over ‘All Lives Matter’ Tweet
Former Sacramento Kings play-by-play voice, Grant Napear has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against KHTK parent company the Bonneville International, after he was fired for tweeting ‘ALL LIVES MATTER’ last year.
According to Sacramento Fox40, “The complaint alleges wrongful termination, discrimination and retaliation in connection with Napear’s firing from his job at KHTK in June of 2020 following a contentious Twitter exchange…The lawsuit is asking for damages, including lost and future wages and emotional distress.”
The Twitter exchange came shortly after the country’s racial tension was heightened by the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Napear was responding to a tweet from former Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, who asked the broadcaster, “what’s your take on BLM?”
Napear replied, “ALL LIVES MATTER…EVERY SINGLE ONE!!!”
Hey!!!! How are you? Thought you forgot about me. Haven't heard from you in years. ALL LIVES MATTER…EVERY SINGLE ONE!!! https://t.co/DfzKl3w0jm
— Grant Napear (@GrantNapearshow) June 1, 2020
The ‘all lives matter’ response has been condemned by many social justice activists as a way of detracting from the Black Lives Matter movement.
At the time of the tweet, Napear was the TV voice of the Kings, while hosting a weekday sports radio show on the team’s flagship radio station KHTK. Two days after his tweet, Bonneville released a statement announcing the company parted ways with Napear. The 62-year-old New York native resigned from his role with the Kings on the same day.
“While we appreciate Grant’s positive contributions to KHTK over the years, his recent comments about the Black Lives Matter movement do not reflect the views or values of Bonneville International Corporation,” the statement read. “The timing of Grant’s tweet was particularly insensitive. After reviewing the matter carefully, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with Grant.”
Napear had been the TV voice of the Kings since 1988 and a longtime contributor to their flagship radio station KHTK. Following his exit from the Kings and KHTK, Napear has defended his continued to defend the tweet that led to his ousting.
“I said ‘all lives matter, every single one’, because I meant it. Do the lives of Black people matter? Hell yeah, the lives of Black people matter,” Napear told Fox40 last year. “I’m for equality for all; that’s how I was raised. That’s how my dad brought up my brother and I.”
