The Portland Trail Blazers have fired newly hired television play-by-play broadcaster Braiden Bell after inappropriate social media posts he made as a teenager resurfaced just hours after his hiring was announced.

The team said Thursday night that the posts violated its policies and values.

“The Portland Trail Blazers have zero tolerance for racist, sexist, or harmful comments,” the team said in a statement. “Social media posts made by our recently announced play-by-play broadcaster are in clear violation of team and league policies, as well as our values and expectations. Therefore, we will not be moving forward with this broadcaster.”

Bell, 29, previously worked as the play-by-play announcer for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and the G League’s Valley Suns. The Trail Blazers had announced his hiring Thursday as the replacement for longtime broadcaster Kevin Calabro.

Within hours of the announcement, posts Bell made on X, then known as Twitter, in 2012 and 2013 resurfaced. KGW-TV in Portland first reported the posts.

Bell apologized in a social media post Friday, saying he wrote the posts when he was 15 and that they did not represent who he is today.

“I am deeply sorry for the language that I used on Twitter,” Bell said. “I do not take lightly any harm it causes now.”

He also apologized to those hurt by his words and said he would continue to treat people with kindness and respect.

The Trail Blazers acknowledged shortcomings in their hiring process and apologized to fans, saying they would ensure their new broadcaster reflects the team’s values.

“We did not meet our own bar in this process, and for that we apologize to Blazers fans and to Rip City,” the team said. “We will do better.”