The Philadelphia 76ers say they are investigating claims of racism and bullying made by a former member of the team’s dance squad.
According to PhillyVoice, Yahne, who says she danced for the Sixers beginning in 2015, shared screenshots on Tuesday alleging that teammates bullied and targeted her because of her skin color and features. She also says she raised her concerns with the organization and felt nothing was done.
Yahne also shared a video in which a former dance team captain, Annie, who was with the organization from 2006 to 2013, berates her and threatens to find her and have her blacklisted from local clubs. The team said the video was filmed in 2016.
The Email And The Team Response
Yahne included a screenshot of a September 1, 2016 email from Sixers COO Lara Price. In it, Lara thanked her for raising the issue, said the team would promptly look into it, and asked for a phone number so HR and Legal could follow up after the Labor Day weekend. PhillyVoice reported that Lara faced criticism online for seeming to downplay the issue.
Late Tuesday, the 76ers released a statement saying the team learned of social media posts with “insensitive, offensive, and unacceptable remarks,” and said it would investigate right away. The team said the comments came from a dancer who left the organization in 2013.
PhillyVoice reported that it could not reach Yahne for comment and found no response from Annie or anyone else shown in the video. Baller Alert will update this story if they respond.
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