Bryan Colangelo releases statement seemingly throwing his wife under the bus over 76ers Twitter scandal

Matt Rourke/AP

• The Philadelphia 76ers and Bryan Colangelo agreed to part ways on Thursday following a scandal that appeared to link him to several Twitter accounts that contained sensitive and critical information about the team.
• An investigation by an independent law firm found the accounts were linked to Colangelo's wife while he did not have knowledge of them.
• Colangelo released a statement maintaining his innocence while also criticizing his wife's judgment, claiming she tweeted inaccurate information and opinions that did not represent his thinking.
• Many in the sports world felt the statement threw his wife under the bus.

The Philadelphia 76ers and Bryan Colangelo agreed to part ways on Thursday in the aftermath of a scandal that appeared to link burner Twitter accounts to Colangelo.

The accounts had published tweets that were critical of 76ers players, coaches, and executives, and appeared to contain sensitive information about the team and players, including player health. The Ringer first reported the alleged connection.

A law firm hired to investigate the matter found that Colangelo's wife, Barbara Bottini, established and operated the accounts while Colangelo did not know about them.

On Thursday, following the news of his resignation, Colangelo released a statement in which he continued to claim he did not know about the accounts. The statement also seemed to be critical of his wife's actions, leading many to feel he threw her under the bus.

"While I am grateful that the independent investigation conducted by the 76ers has confirmed that I had no knowledge of or involvement in the Twitter activity conducted by my wife, I vigorously dispute the allegation that my conduct was in any way reckless," the statement read. "At no point did I ever purposefully or directly share any sensitive, non-public, club-related information with her."

Colangelo also said that his wife had tweeted information that was inaccurate and filled with conjecture.

"Her actions were a seriously misguided effort to publicly defend and support me, and while I recognize how inappropriate these actions were, she acted independently and without my knowledge or consent. Further, the content she shared was filled with inaccuracies and conjecture which in no way represent my own views or opinions."

The NBA world reacted with raised eyebrows.

In the statement, Colangelo said he was sad to be leaving the organization in this manner.

Read the entire statement below:

"While I am grateful that the independent investigation conducted by the 76ers has confirmed that I had no knowledge of or involvement in the Twitter activity conducted by my wife, I vigorously dispute the allegation that my conduct was in any way reckless. At no point did I ever purposefully or directly share any sensitive, non-public, club-related information with her.

"Her actions were a seriously misguided effort to publicly defend and support me, and while I recognize how inappropriate these actions were, she acted independently and without my knowledge or consent. Further, the content she shared was filled with inaccuracies and conjecture which in no way represent my own views or opinions. While this was obviously a mistake, we are a family and we will work through this together.

"Although I am not directly responsible for the actions, I regret this incident occurred and understand that it has become a distraction for the team. Therefore, the organization and I have mutually agreed to part ways.

"Over the last two years, I have worked hard to help build a foundation for what I hope will soon be many championship seasons for the 76ers. I am grateful to team owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer for the opportunity they gave me to be part of such a great organization. I am saddened to have to leave under these circumstances.

"Basketball has been a core part of my life since childhood. I love the game and all those who play and coach it. I want to thank the many colleagues, players and friends from around the League and elsewhere who have expressed their support and encouragement during this difficult and painful time for me and my family."