#NBATwitter has claimed its latest victim – longtime referee Eric Lewis.
On Wednesday, the league announced that Lewis has retired, following an NBA inquiry into the possibility of the 52-year-old opening a burner Twitter account to defend his crew's refereeing.
Chris B. Haynes of Turner Sports shared a copy of the press release issued by the NBA Wednesday.
Lewis caught the attention of Twitter sleuths earlier this year, as he appeared to create a burner account that engaged in back-and-forth with other users who criticized Lewis' calls throughout the playoffs.
The Twitter detectives were tipped off by the Lewis' alias "@CutliffBlair" which had no followers and only followed five accounts - two from the NBA, two regarding NBA refs and the George Mason women's basketball team, where his wife is currently the head coach.
Lewis' account was uncovered on May 25, nine days after his final playoff game appearance as a referee. The account stood up for actions regarding the refereeing in the Kings-Warriors first-round playoff series, which Lewis officiated. The NBA announced it opened an investigation into Lewis' actions on May 29.
Kevin Durant already knows that burner accounts aren't safe in today's day and age, but Lewis was served a cold lesson that ultimately ended his career.
