NBA referee Eric Lewis retires amid an investigation into use of a ‘burner account’… with the league ending their probe

Veteran NBA official Eric Lewis has announced his retirement, effective immediately, after 19 seasons of refereeing.

Lewis had been under investigation by the league since May of this year for his alleged use of a ‘burner account’ on Twitter used to defend himself and other referees.

With his immediate retirement, the NBA said in a statement that their investigation into his social media activity is closed.

Lewis, 52, worked more than 1,200 games in 19 seasons in the league. His last assignment was on May 16 for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers.

However, he was facing discipline from the league if investigators connected him as the owner to the Twitter account @CuttliffBlair.

Longtime NBA referee Eric Lewis has retired amid an investigation into his social media use

The account that allegedly belonged to Lewis was seen commenting on multiple posts

Lewis was not among 12 officials selected to work the NBA Finals while the league investigated.

The account was brought to light by Twitter user @PabloEscoburner in May. The account @CuttliffBlair was created in November 2015 and, according to screengrabs posted by PabloEscoburner, had been a constant defender of Lewis and NBA officiating overall, responding to negative tweets and highlighting Lewis’ work.

When PabloEscoburner first tweeted about the account and a possible link to Lewis, CuttliffBlair replied that the account was run by Lewis’ older brother, Mark. PabloEscoburner then showed the account as deleted later in the day.

Of note, the account followed six users: PabloEscoburner, four NBA-related accounts (@RefAnalytics, @OfficialNBARefs, @NBA and @NBAOfficial), and @MasonWBB — the official account of George Mason women’s basketball. 

Eric Lewis’ wife, Vanessa Blair-Lewis, is the head coach at George Mason.