Hilton Grand Vacations fired the employee who is accused of using a racial slur against the WNBA player
Credit: Jeff Bottari/NBAE/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Chelsea Gray posted a screenshot of a racist message she received after her Sunday, July 12 game against the Indiana Fever
- The man who allegedly sent the message was employed by Hilton Grand Vacations
- The company said the individual had been fired and exhibited behavior that “does not reflect our company’s values in any way”
Hilton Grand Vacations has fired an employee for allegedly making racist remarks toward WNBA star Chelsea Gray, who shared the messages to her own social media.
The company fired the individual this week, Front Office Sports and The Associated Press reported.
Hilton Grand Vacations confirmed the individual had been fired in a statement shared with PEOPLE on Wednesday, July 15.
“The person responsible for posting this information is no longer with the company,” the company shared. “His behavior was in violation of multiple company policies and does not reflect our company’s values in any way.”
The Las Vegas Aces guard, 33, posted a screenshot of the racist remarks she received to her Instagram Stories after the Aces lost 109-75 to the Indiana Fever on Sunday, July 12.
Front Office Sports reported the screenshot included a clear view of the user’s handle and their profile picture, which allowed online commenters to identify them through their LinkedIn account as a Hilton Grand Vacations employee.
The message allegedly sent by the employee called Gray a slur and said that she sucks, according to CBS Sports.
“This was a message I received after our game vs Indy yesterday,” Gray wrote alongside the screenshot on Monday, July 13. “People act like we just make this s— up. And the audacity to tell us as athletes to ‘shut up and dribble.’ ”
During Sunday's game, Gray and Fever guard Caitlin Clark clashed on the court when Clark, 24, tried to block Gray from scoring. Gray subsequently drew a foul on Clark, but elbowed her in the stomach in the process. Clark, who protested the call, was eventually given a common foul.
Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty
Gray’s post comes shortly after another WNBA player called out the inappropriate messages she received after fouling Clark in a game.
Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas said she had been receiving death threats after a one-game suspension for fouling Clark in a previous game, when she put pressure on the Fever player’s neck.
Thomas said the foul had been a “complete accident.”
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“A lot of us, myself included, didn’t even know the play took place until after the game. Now we’re being painted as thugs. There’s death threats out on us,” Thomas told reporters in a clip posted to X. “It’s really unacceptable. It’s something that needs to change in this league and I’m just really sick and tired of it.”
She added, “It’s unfortunate that it’s come to this over basketball.”
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