NBA referee Eric Lewis is retiring amid an investigation into the use of a “burner account” … and the league is ending its investigation
- With the resignation, the NBA has now closed its investigation into Lewis’ social media
- Lewis’ career as an NBA Finals referee ended in the wake of this investigation
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Veteran NBA official Eric Lewis has announced his immediate retirement after 19 seasons as a referee.
Lewis had been under investigation by the league since May of this year for allegedly using a “burner account” on Twitter to defend himself and other referees.
With his immediate resignation, the NBA said in a statement that it had completed its investigation into his social media activities.
Lewis, 52, has played more than 1,200 games in the league over 19 seasons. His last appearance was on May 16 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, he faced disciplinary action from the league if investigators linked him as an owner to the Twitter account @CuttliffBlair.
Longtime NBA umpire Eric Lewis has retired following an investigation into his social media use
The account, allegedly owned by Lewis, was spotted commenting on several posts
Lewis was not among the 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 screenshots posted by PabloEscoburner, was a constant defender of Lewis and the NBA, officiating overall, responding to negative tweets and highlighting Lewis’ work.
When PabloEscoburner first tweeted about the account and a possible connection to Lewis, CuttliffBlair responded that the account was run by Lewis’ older brother Mark. PabloEscoburner later in the day reported the account as deleted.
Notably, 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 a head coach at George Mason.