A sports radio host who tweeted “All lives matter… every single one” shortly after the May 2020 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has lost a federal lawsuit against the company that fired him.
Grant Napear, who handled TV play-by-play for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and had his own daily radio show on sports talk KHTK Sacramento (1140), had sued Bonneville International, the station’s owner. But on Monday, the judge overseeing the case, U.S. District Judge Dale Drozd, granted summary judgment for the defendant, saying that Bonneville’s decision to fire Napear was protected by the First Amendment.
Napear’s tweet was posted in response to a question regarding his thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement, which took root after Floyd’s death at the hands of four police officers and sparked protests across the U.S.
KTHK, known as the “Home of the Kings,” fired Napear because his comment, the judge determined, was likely to discredit the station’s reputation with the NBA team, in addition to the public.
“The tweet, coming as it did less than a week after the death of George Floyd, predictably ignited a firestorm of negative comments and reactions from the public, as well as past and present NBA players,” Bonneville said in its motion to dismiss Napear’s lawsuit.
Napear resigned from his TV job with the Kings shortly before KTHK fired him.
According to Courthouse News Service, the judge determined that keeping Napear on the air would compel Bonneville to create or present speech it didn’t wish to express — because the decision of who to put on the air is inherently expressive and also tied to the company’s creative process.
“As the show’s host, plaintiff’s casting is inseparable from the resulting work of entertainment of the show. This is so because plaintiff’s speech, including his demeanor and tone, necessarily comprised the show’s speech.”
Napear sued Bonneville International Corporation in 2021, asserted that he was a victim of retaliation, and that his firing was politically motivated. The judge said it was “undisputed” that Napear’s tweet drew critical comments and reactions on social media, which affected the company’s relationship with its audience.
“In light of these circumstances, defendant determined that plaintiff’s actions were likely to undermine its credibility with the community and its editorial voice, and it no longer wanted to express its message through plaintiff,” the judge wrote.
An attorney for Napear told Courthouse News he was “disappointed” by the ruling.
“The notion that Bonneville International Corporation and its lawyers are proud of this decision is sickening because Bonneville International Corporation intentionally terminated Grant Napear because of his political expression concerning BLM, and ruined Grant Napear’s life in the process,” said Matthew Ruggles of Ruggles Law Firm, who represents Napear.
Ruggles said his client intends to appeal the case.
The order granting Bonneville’s request for summary judgment can be viewed HERE.
