NBA fans have a lot to say about referee and Bethune-Cookman alumnus Eric Lewis. Lewis suddenly retired today following an investigation into his social media conduct that started in May. Lewis allegedly created a Twitter burner account where he would defend referees against criticism from NBA fans on social media. The investigation caused him to be held out of refereeing the NBA Finals. Per a statement by the NBA, his retirement concludes the investigation into his conduct.
“NBA referee Eric Lewis has informed the league office that he is retiring, effective immediately. In light of his decision, the NBA's investigation into social media activity has been closed,” the statement posted on the NBA Official's Twitter account read.
Many have weighed in on the retirement as well as some arguable lowlights from Lewis's career.
“Retired in 4K. Cam don't lie,” tweeted popular Lakers Twitter user Richard Staples
“Rich Paul had them black SUVs spinning his block daily,” posted Twitter user @imightbepop.
“The Celtics had the referees in their pockets and still couldn’t win a ring,” posted Twitter user @ThomasBuckets78.
Retired in 4K. Cam don’t lie! pic.twitter.com/I9nbVYdk69
— Richard Staple, BSN, RN🇯🇲 (@RichStapless) August 30, 2023
rich paul had them black suvs spinning his block daily
— pop (@imightbepop) August 30, 2023
The Celtics had the referees in their pockets and still couldn’t win a ring smh
— Thomas 🏀⚾️ (@ThomasBuckets78) August 30, 2023
the nba just allowing eric lewis to retire is actually shameful
it essentially validates dat he was quite literally affecting outcomes of games
dat laker loss to boston looks even worse now
also guarantees he’s not the only ref dats biased in their decision making
nasty asl pic.twitter.com/WppldtjzKQ
— Coach Rome (@Rome_Beast) August 30, 2023
There are a number of Eric Lewises Right Now that are reffing NBA games with open bias or much worse, clear intent to whistle in a specific direction.
Eric Lewis wasn’t The Problem.
He is just the microcosm of that problem. https://t.co/dbbFwkUM79
— Letting Go (@ProvideContext) August 30, 2023
While some users found humor in Lewis's retirement, others were flabbergasted that his retirement stopped the investigation.
Twitter user @rome_beast wrote, “The NBA just allowing Eric Lewis to retire is actually shameful. It essentially validates that he was quite literally affecting the outcomes of games. The Laker's loss to Boston looks even worse now. It also guarantees he’s not the only ref who's biased in their decision-making.”
“There are a number of Eric Lewises right now that are reffing NBA games with open bias or much worse: a clear intent to whistle in a specific direction. Eric Lewis wasn’t the problem. He is just the microcosm of that problem,” popular NBA Twitter commenter @lettinggo posted.
While it seems the saga around Eric Lewis has concluded, the NBA fans are definitely looking for a change in the way the NBA handles officials.