It turns out that the 76ers had another bout with a Twitter scandal. This time, however, the team squashed it with a quick response.
On Saturday, general manager Elton Brand responded in a press release to what he deemed as "inappropriate and offensive media posts" by Bob Muscala, the father of Sixers reserve power forward, Mike Muscala.
In the joint press release, Mike Muscala apologized for his father's comments, calling them "uncalled for and inappropriate." He added they don't reflect who he is.
"I'd also like to apologize to the 76ers and my colleagues across the NBA for the distraction my father's comments caused," he wrote.
Muscala, who is doubtful for Tuesday's season opener at the Boston Celtics with a sprained right ankle, also addressed the situation to the media following Saturday's practice.
"I love my dad," he said. "He's been very supportive of me throughout my life and my career. I don't agree with what he said on social media. I'm against it."
He then apologized again for any distraction it has caused.
Bob Muscala is linked to the Twitter account @MuskieBobber.
One of the tweets from the account addressed disgruntled Minnesota Timberwolves swingman Jimmy Butler, who earlier this week lashed out at teammates, coaches and front-office personnel at practice. Butler is seeking a trade.
The tweet from the @MuskieBobber described Butler's behavior as "egomaniacal African American mental illness."
@MuskieBobber tweeted out an apology for his comments Saturday afternoon. He wrote: "It was a poorly stated comment by me. I regret any/all problems caused by my poor grammar and choice of words, Briefs tweets can cause problems like this."
Minutes afterward, the account was deleted. But this was just one of many inflammatory tweets sent from the account.
"That comment was an unfortunate and ignorant comment," Sixers coach Brett Brown said after practice. "It reflects nothing that we're about and does not reflect what Mike Muscala is about. I'll say no more."
Brand wrote in the press release: "Having known Mike since his rookie year in 2013-14 when we were teammates (with the Atlanta Hawks), I am also certain these posts are in no way reflective of his own personal beliefs."
The general manager added that Mike Muscala has the organization's full support. The team acquired him in an offseason three-team trade that sent Justin Anderson to the Hawks and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to Oklahoma City
The incident comes after Bryan Colangelo resigned as Sixers president of basketball operations and general manager on June 7, ending a stunning nine-day saga that began when a website report tied him to damaging and anonymous Twitter accounts.
