A man who allegedly sent Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray a profane message that included a racist slur has been fired after social media users figured out where he worked.
On Monday, the former Sparks player posted a screenshot on her Instagram Story of a DM she said she received following her team’s loss to the Indiana Fever on Sunday.
“People act like we make this s— up,” Gray wrote. “And the audacity to tell us as athletes to ‘shut up and dribble.’”
Her post included the sender’s user handle. Folks on social media discovered that the man worked for Hilton Grand Vacations and pressured the company to punish him for his alleged misdeed. Initially, the company wrote on X that it was investigating the matter and “will take appropriate action based on the findings of our review.”
Hours later, Hilton Grand Vacations posted that the person allegedly responsible for racist message “is no longer with the company.”
“His behavior was in violation of multiple company policies and does not reflect our company’s values in any way,” Hilton Grand Vacations stated.
Unfortunately, such harassment isn’t new for WNBA players. As part of the collective bargaining agreement reached in March, the league introduced a no-hate campaign which included a stronger fan code of conduct that specifies punishments for online abuse of players and other inappropriate behaviors.
Still, Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas told reporters last month that she received death threats and racist abuse after an on-court incident in which her fist pressed into Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark‘s throat while they were scrambling for the ball. No foul was called at the time, but the WNBA later assessed Thomas a Flagrant 2 foul and suspended her for a game.
Speaking to reporters June 30, Thomas called out the league and commissioner Cathy Engelbert for not doing more to protect players off the court.
“Time and time again, players are going through this and the league remains silent,” Thomas said. “I’m sick and tired of it. It’s time for them to step up and have our backs.”
Engelbert released a statement following Thomas’ comments.
“We are aware of Alyssa Thomas’ comments, and what she and her teammates have experienced is completely unacceptable and not representative of the WNBA community,” the commissioner said. “The league and our security team have been in contact with the Phoenix Mercury organization and remain committed to protecting all players.”
The WNBA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Gray’s situation.
During last weekend’s Fever-Aces game, Thomas drew a foul on Clark while driving to the basket, but her elbow also appeared to make contact with the Indiana star’s stomach. Clark doubled over after the whistle in what some appear was an attempt to get a foul called on Thomas, but none was called.
The racist message received by Thomas did not appear to mention Clark or any specific incident.
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