The Boston Celtics have come under fire over an insensitive social media post regarding the recent shooting in Lewiston, Maine.
The Celtics shared a tweet that expressed condolences to the victims of the Maine mass shooting in the same post as the score for Wednesday night’s game. (RELATED: Here’s What We Know About The Suspected Maine Shooter)
The Celtics’ post featured a photo of the team’s superstar player Jayson Tatum with the score (Celtics 108, Knicks 104) at the bottom.
The Boston Celtics Twitter account is facing backlash for sharing thoughts with the victims in Lewiston, Maine using graphics of the box score. pic.twitter.com/PpC4FSzCqj
— Episodes (@episodesent) October 26, 2023
“Our thoughts are with everyone in Lewiston, Maine,” the caption read.
The post sparked swift backlash, prompting the team to remove it from Twitter. Shortly after, the team posted the same caption without any photo or box score.
The same night, Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown commented on the Maine shooting after his team’s game against the Utah Jazz.
“I don’t even want to talk about basketball,” Brown said to reporters. “We played a game, it was fun. Obviously, we won but if we can’t do anything to fix this, it’s over. It’s over for our country for this to happen time after time.”
“It’s a sad day. It’s a sad day for our country. It’s a sad day in this world,” Brown continued. “And, until we decide to do something about it, the powers that be, this is going to keep happening. And our kids are not going to be able to enjoy what our kids are about because we don’t know how to fix a problem that’s right in front of us.”
U.S. Army reservist Robert Card allegedly went on a deadly rampage Wednesday night, slaying 18 people and injuring 13 in a Lewiston bowling alley.