Did a message board post cause Sky coach to be fired?

As I touched on last week, the Chicago Sky (although they won’t admit it) were likely moved to release head coach Bo Overton because of a claim made on a message board.

Well, now it’s out in the mainstream reaction. From The Daily Herald outside of Chicago:

Even more shocking was the news that broke on Thursday. The Sky’s team message board was fueling rumors of misconduct by Overton. An anonymous poster, known only as “Cinderella,” had alleged that Overton had sexually harassed a player. Other posters refuted that claim, but then a person, claiming to be a parent of a player, insisted the allegations were true.

Team president Margaret Stender then added her own message and said the team denounced harassment of any kind. She asked for anyone with information regarding any sexual harassment to contact her as soon as possible.

By Thursday evening, Overton’s lawyer, David Little, broke the silence in their camp and said the only reason Sky officials gave Overton for what amounted to a “de facto firing” was that the Chicago Sky brand was being damaged by the content on its message board.

Little also said Overton denies all of the accusations and challenged the credibility of the anonymous fan.

I hate to say it, but by acknowledging the message board’s power as Little has done, he’s given it more power. Message board trolls can be ruthless, especially with the perception of anonymity. Without knowing anything other than what’s been reported about the Bo Overton situation, although it may appear that the ends have justified the means if the claims are true, it does make you wonder at what cost? But then again, that’s why we have libel and slander statutes to deal with in my biz.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.