Sports

‘Mr. Basketball’ boss under fire for anti-Muslim tweets

Bob CollinsBob Collins Feb 13, 2017
13

Is it time to let the air out of the Mr. Basketball award in Minnesota?

The chair of the award is under fire for retweeting a post to an article about Muslims taunting high school officials in New Jersey, and adding, “Run their asses otta there!”, the Star Tribune said.

Ken Lien, the owner and chairman of the award, tells the Star Tribune, “I feel bad about what I did, and I would like to apologize. What it is, I see all this stuff bashing our country and I get upset about it. It isn’t that I’m filled with hate for Muslims. I feel bad about what I did.”

Funny thing about Twitter, though: You can search tweets going way back, including the one from last year when Lien tweeted, “Minnesota first state to fall to Somali Muslims — Good? Hell no. Unbelievably BAD. My opinion & sticking to it.”

Lien has now deleted his account.

John Carrier, the basketball coach at Henry Sibley High School, has seen quite enough.

The Mr. Basketball Award has been awarded since 1975. Lien has run it since 1977.