A person believed to have sent a racist text message to Dearica Hamby of the Los Angeles Sparks late last month lost their job, the person’s former employer confirmed to The Athletic on Wednesday.
Acclaro Medical, a medical device company in Smithfield, R.I., issued a statement alluding to a “deeply disturbing situation on social media.” The company followed with a statement Wednesday that said, in part, “The matter has since been resolved by the company’s HR and Legal teams, and the employee is no longer with Acclaro.”
The situation began Aug. 24, when Hamby posted a screenshot of the offensive text message to her verified X account. It read, “Dirty ass n—–. They should put you in a zoo. Animal,” and included an image of a monkey.
In her post with the image, Hamby asked, “Anyone know this number?”
Within an hour of her post, people replied with biographical details of someone evidently linked to the number on the screenshot. Acclaro Medical was identified as the texter’s possible employer.
On Aug. 25, USA Today reported that Acclaro Medical said an employee had been suspended while an investigation was ongoing. When asked for the former employee’s name, Acclaro told The Athletic, “We have no further information at this time.”
The Athletic tried to contact the Sparks for comment but has not received a reply.
A WNBA spokesperson issued the following statement: “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.”
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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