Former Sacramento Kings announcer Grant Napear could now see part of his case over firing for an "All Lives Matter" tweet go to discovery. A federal judge on Wednesday partially denied a motion to dismiss former Sacramento Kings play-by-play announcer Grant Napear’s case that he was illegally fired and discriminated against for tweeting “All Lives Matter” six days after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. U.S. District Judge Dale Drozd ruled that Napear has stated a plausible claim for retaliation under the California Labor Code against Bonneville International Corporation, the owner of KHTK-AM. But the judge, who presides in California, also ruled Napear did not offer a plausible claim for religious discrimination. Napear, a two-time Emmy Award winner who hosted the popular “Grant Napear Show with Doug Christie” on KHTK-AM, sparked a Twitter controversy on May 31, 2020, after former Kings center DeMarcus Cousins—with whom Napear has long feuded— urged Napear to give his “take” on Black Lives Matter. “ALL LIVES MATTER…EVERY SINGLE ONE,” Napear replied . Bonneville fired Napear with cause on grounds that his tweet was “particularly insensitive” and that his message conflicted with “the tremendous respect that [Bonneville has] for the black community and any […]
