Long-time NBA referee Eric Lewis is ‘facing punishment from the league if he is found guilty of posting tweets on alleged burner account defending himself and other officials from criticism’… as investigation continues
- The last game he officiated this season was Game 1 between the LAL and Denver
- A tweet from the account claims that it belonged to Lewis’s older brother
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The NBA is continuing to investigate veteran referee Eric Lewis over a Twitter account that allegedly saw him comment on a number of posts defending himself and other officials, per ESPN.
A now-deleted account belonged to a user named ‘Blair Cuttliff’ with the handle @CuttliffBlair, and is alleged to be a burner account used by Lewis.
NBA rules prohibit officials from commenting public on officiating without authorization.
If the 19-year-vet is proved to have been the one making such statements through the account, he could face discipline from the league.
LeBron James also reacted to the accusations against Lewis after he tweeted out: This Eric Lewis s*** emoji true???’ followed by a raised eyebrow emoji.
NBA official Eric Lewis is being investigated over a Twitter account he allegedly used
The account that allegedly belonged to Lewis was seen commenting on multiple posts
Lewis has officiated more than 1,100 games and 82 playoff games and in recent years has been rated as one of the NBA’s best officials.
Throughout his career Lewis has been assigned six games in the NBA Finals since 2019 and the last game he was assigned was Game 1 of the Western Conference finals between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers on May 16.
On May 25, the account claimed it was being run by Lewis’s brother Mark.
In response to the Twitter account it follows who alleged Lewis is behind @CuttliffBlair, a tweet said: ‘This is MARK Lewis. Right family (older brother).
LeBron James has also spoken on reports Lewis is being investigated over a burner account
The 38-year-old Lakers star James took to Twitter about Lewis on Saturday afternoon
‘I’m sorry that I put E, in this situation, but this ain’t Watergate. You’re right, the account WILL be coming down. Twitter should not be this vindictive. Sorry to inconvenience you.’
If Eric Lewis is found guilty this would not be the first time burner accounts have caused an issue in the NBA.
Back in 2018 Philadelphia 76ers general manager Bryan Colangelo resigned after he and his wife were linked to burner accounts that criticized some of the team’s players.
Not long after, then-Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant admitted to having several burner accounts in order to secretly interact with fans that criticized him or the team online.