‘Deeply disturbing situation’: Employee fired after WNBA star received racist slurs

Last week, Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby claimed that she received racist text messages from an unknown number. Hamby posted the messages and the number online to identify the culprit and expose them on social media. Yesterday, an employee of Acclaro Medical was formally fired after being placed on suspension pending investigation. Hamby’s followers ultimately tracked down the sender as an Acclaro employee and prompted the company to investigate immediately. The company released a statement shortly after. “Acclaro Medical is aware of the deeply disturbing situation on social media,” the company said in a statement shared with USA TODAY Sports. “… Acclaro Medical sympathizes with everyone who has been affected by this situation. The Company takes this matter extremely seriously and is conducting a thorough investigation. The WNBA released a statement of its own in support of Hamby, speaking out against the “abhorrent behavior.” “The WNBA stands unequivocally with Dearica Hamby and condemns the racist abuse directed at her in the strongest possible terms. We are committed to holding anyone who engages in such abhorrent behavior accountable, and this individual will be permanently banned from all league games and events,” the WNBA said in a statement, via USA Today. This is not the first time a WNBA player was targeted with harassment, as Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Grey and Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas have also been affected by hate speech online over the past year. “The WNBA vehemently condemns any and all forms of hate. The safety and well-being of everyone in our community is always the league’s top priority,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said after the hate directed toward Grey earlier this year. Hamby and the Sparks plan to move past the matter, as the person involved has been terminated from Acclaro Medical and permanently banned from all WNBA events, but this doesn’t end the fight to eliminate hate speech directed at players completely. The post ‘Deeply disturbing situation’: Employee fired after WNBA star received racist slurs appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.