The Rockets’ Twitter account sent out a tweet Tuesday night as the team played Game 5 against the Mavericks, which showed a gun to a horse’s head in emoji, along with, “Shhhhh. Just close your eyes. It will all be over soon.” (Houston was in the process of eliminating Dallas.) The tweet was deleted shortly after, and Chad Shanks, the digital communications manager behind the tweet, was apparently fired today.
The Houston Chronicle got a longer statement out of Shanks:
“I never meant to offend anybody,” Shanks said. “I attempted an admittedly edgy jab at the Mavericks’ expense and it did not go over well with everyone. The organization supported my efforts to make the account one of the best in the NBA by pushing the envelope, but they deemed this too far.
“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities and experiences I got from the Rockets and know they acted in what they thought was their best interest (to) avoid any more controversy. I didn’t mean to advocate violence toward animals; just let my emotions get the best of me in a jab at the Mavs that was not very well thought out. I’m proud of my four seasons of award winning work with the Rockets and will always be a fan. I wish there would’ve been another method of punishment, but I have no ill feelings toward them. I loved my job.”
The tweet wasn’t that bad.
Contact the author at samer@deadspin.com.