76ers Plan to 'Investigate' Incident Involving Former Team Dancer

The Philadelphia 76ers put out a statement on Tuesday night regarding an incident involving former team dancers.

The Philadelphia 76ers were a hot topic on Tuesday night and not for a good reason. When an Instagram post from R&B singer Trey Songz surfaced on fans' timelines, many were shocked to see that the Sixers were somehow involved, as Songz doesn't necessarily have any connection with the 76ers organization.

The post wasn't for Trey Songz, however. Instead, the singer was bringing light to a situation involving a former member of the Sixers Dance Team. Yahne Coleman, who danced for the Sixers for three seasons beginning back in 2015, alleged she was "bullied" and "racially targeted" by her teammates during her time with the team.

While Coleman's story is just now making its way to the public, her social media statements weren't the first time she tried to tell her side of the story. According to Coleman's post, she reached out to Sixers' COO of Business Operations Lara Price to make the organization aware of what was going on. Coleman claims she was "castaway," after receiving a general response from Price. 

(Warning: Video contains NSFW language)

"I was bullied and racially targeted by my 76ers NBA teammates at the time," Coleman wrote in a detailed statement above. "I went to my coach Dayna and the Sixers organization crying out for help so many times, and nothing was ever done."

After Coleman's claims garnered tons of attention on social media Tuesday night, the 76ers felt obligated to release a statement regarding the situation. 

"Tonight, we were made aware of social media posts involving former dance team members that contained insensitive, offensive and unacceptable remarks, as well as allegations of bullying and racist behavior."

"The videos, which were filmed in 2016, featured derogatory comments from a former dance team member who left the organization in 2013."

"We take this situation very seriously. We intend to investigate this matter immediately and remain committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and equality." [H/T Kyle Neubeck of The PhillyVoice]

Per Kyle Neubeck of The PhillyVoice, the 76ers were unwilling to release specifics on who would be involved with the questioning process in the investigation. And before jumping to conclusions, the team wants to get a complete understanding of the situation. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_