The sports bettor who allegedly sent Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray a racist message on social media has been fired by his employer, Hilton Grand Vacations, the company said in a statement Tuesday.
“The person responsible for posting this information is no longer with the company. His behavior was in violation of multiple company policies and does not reflect our company’s values in any way,” HGV said in a statement to the Review-Journal.
On Monday, Gray shared a screenshot of a comment the bettor made, calling her a racial slur, on her Instagram story. The message was sent after the Aces’ loss to the Indiana Fever.
“This was a message I received after our game vs Indy yesterday,” Gray wrote on her story. “People act like we just make this [expletive] up. And the audacity to tell us as athletes to ‘shut up and dribble.’”
The comment came after Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas said she received death threats and was called racial slurs after she was suspended one game for striking Caitlin Clark in the throat during a game last month.
The former HGV employee had made numerous sports betting-related posts on his Threads account. Several of his social media accounts were taken down after Gray’s Instagram post, as many defenders of Gray called for him to be reprimanded.
HGV issued a statement earlier Tuesday that they would investigate the matter.
“We are aware of the allegations involving this individual,” the company said. “We take these concerns seriously and will take appropriate action based on the findings of our review.”
This is a developing story. Check back later for more.
Contact Trevor Squire at tsquire@reviewjournal.com. Follow him at @trevordsquire on X.
