NBA referee Eric Lewis is retiring after officiating games for 19 seasons, the league announced Wednesday. His retirement is effective immediately.
In light of his decision, the NBA has closed its investigation into Lewis’ social media activity after his alleged burner account on X (formerly known as Twitter) received significant attention in May. An account with the handle @CuttliffBlair gained notoriety due to posts from the account commenting on Lewis and the games he officiated.
Game 1 of the Western Conference finals had been his most recent reffed game when the posts began circulating.
In prior tweets, the account argued with fans and analysts over Lewis’ officiating. In one tweet, sent on April 5, the account tweeted “Congrats.” in reply to a tweet from George Mason women’s basketball announcing the contract extension of coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis. Blair-Lewis is Eric Lewis’ wife.
On May 25, a post in response to the discovery of the account said the account belonged to Mark Lewis, Eric’s older brother.
In @CuttliffBlair’s final tweet, the user said “This is MARK Lewis. Right family (older brother).”
“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…
