Exec apologizes for ‘Big News’ tease on Twitter
MIAMI — Miami Heat executive Michael McCullough apologized Sunday for the team’s social-media posts last week that said “BigNews” was coming.
The posts came in advance of Friday‘s release of the 2018-19 NBA schedule, including one teasing at “Seriously BigNews.”
Sunday, McCullough, a Heat executive vice president and chief marketing officer, responded to criticism directed toward the team’s social-media approach in advance of the annual schedule release.
“Hey HEAT Twitter,” McCullough posted on Twitter. “I need to apologize for our schedule release posts. We misread the moment and were more than a little tone deaf with those. Unlike us, but a mistake, nonetheless. That’s on me.”
The Heat retweeted McCullough’s post on the team’s Twitter account. The social-media schedule posts were made through the team’s marketing wing, not the basketball-operations department.
The Heat wound up with a mundane schedule, with only three national appearances on TNT and two on ESPN, with no major holiday national appearances.
The Heat’s offseason largely has lacked anything close to “big news,” with the team neither signing nor adding players beyond agreements with undrafted rookies Duncan Robinson, Yante Maten and Malik Newman.
McCullough, a driving force behind the Heat’s award-winning critically acclaimed “Vice” marketing approach last season, said Sunday the social-media posts were offered in the spirit of entertainment.
“For me, itwas just about we have a large and vocal and loyal following,” hesaid. “And when we do something right, they let us know about it. And when we do something wrong, they let us know about it. And I felt that this needed to be acknowledged, thatwe recognize a misstep and just wanted to acknowledge it and take responsibility for it.”
Heat President Pat Riley recently defended the passive offseason as one necessary to allow the team to maximize continuity after years of offseason maneuvering.
“Even though there has been a lot of activity on our part with having discussions around the league, we have a roster that’s a playoff roster,” he said. “This year is a pivotal year for these guys when they come back to try to dispel the notion and the perception out there is that we are who a lot of people think we are. To me, that’s a great challenge on the part of the team and the coaching staff.
“We are going to be a very competitive team. I do hope with the continuity and the belief we have with this roster, that it we’ll be better. You always want to improve the team in certain ways but also you want to stay the course.”
About the only expected major news to come from the team from a basketball operations standpoint are the futures of franchise mainstays Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem, who both are unrestricted free agents. Wade said Saturday that he continues to weigh his playing future.