sports
Hilton Grand Vacations Fires Employee After Racist Message to Chelsea Gray; Thomas Suspended for Contact with Clark
Hilton Grand Vacations terminated an employee who sent a racist direct message to Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray after a July 12 loss. Gray posted a screenshot of the message on Instagram.
Jul 14, 8:47 PM·1m read6 sources
TH
+3
benzinga.comAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Hilton Grand Vacations terminated an employee who sent a racist direct message to Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray. The message, which read “You suck ass ugly ass n—–”, arrived after the Aces lost 109-75 to the Indiana Fever on July 12. Community members identified the sender after he tagged the company in several of his social media stories.
Post by @TheAthletic on X
Hilton Grand Vacations first said it was aware of the allegations and would review them. On July 14 the company confirmed the employee’s departure, stating his behavior violated multiple company policies and did not reflect its values. ” The Athletic reported that Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams received a separate hateful audio message on Instagram after Minnesota’s 90-85 win over the New York Liberty on July 11.
The sender blamed Williams for recording only one assist, which affected a player prop bet. Williams finished that game with 12 points, 12 rebounds and one assist. Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas said she and teammates received death threats and racial slurs after an on-court incident with Caitlin Clark on June 24.
Thomas received a one-game suspension for pushing her fist to Clark’s throat. In March 2026 the WNBA and its players’ union reached a new collective bargaining agreement that added security measures, technological support, mental health resources, a stronger fan code of conduct and an anti-hate campaign.
