WHBQ chief meteorologist Joey Sulipeck is out at the Memphis Fox affiliate.
Sulipeck has been off the air while the Imagicomm owned station investigated his tweet, where he referenced Golden State Warriors player Draymond Green as a “knuckle dragger” in May.
The Daily Memphian reports “multiple sources” confirm Sulipeck won’t be returning and that station staffers were told this week. WHBQ also posted an opening for a chief meteorologist on LinkedIn. Sulipeck had held that position at the station for 18 years.
Sulipeck’s tweet was captured by a reporter for the Memphis Commercial Appeal before it was deleted. The tweet shows Sulipeck calling Green a knuckle dragger, a derogatory term associated with primates.
“Draymond Green runs his knuckle-dragging open mouth ALL GAME LONG, but mild-mannered Kyle Anderson disputes one call and gets ejected?” Sulipeck wrote.
“Emotions are high right now among teams and fans over the play in question but this right here? @joeysulipeck—unacceptable,” wrote Commercial Appeal reporter Evan Barnes. “Memo to @FOX13Memphis—talk to your mans and check him. This is over the line and I won’t stand for it. This is bullsh-t.”
At the time, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he wasn’t surprised that someone had used racist language to talk about one of his players.
“Does it surprise me that a weatherman would tweet a slur at Draymond in 2022? Not in the slightest,” Kerr said. “This is America. This is how we operate.”
Sulipeck’s bio is off the station’s site and he hasn’t posted to his station Facebook page since May 7.