Bryan Colangelo ‘Woodergate’ scandal floods social media, billboard

Sixers general manager Bryan Colangelo found himself in hot wooder last week when a story broke alleging he used burner Twitter accounts to criticize 76ers players and release information about the team.

Twitter users began woodering at the mouth as possible names for the scandal were thrown around, but which one would emerge victorious?

>> READ MORE: Report: Sixers owners discuss Bryan Colangelo Twitter investigation, could make decision Wednesday

Would it be BurnerGate — a reference to Colangelo's alleged burner accounts?

Or CollarGate — a reference to one of the burner account's defense of the size of Colangelo's shirt collars?

Or perhaps, just perhaps, could it be WooderGate — a reference to how a Philadelphian might pronounce Watergate, the scandal involving President Richard Nixon from which all other "-gate" scandals get their names?

This week, a digital billboard that appeared on eastbound I-76 near Passyunk Avenue seemed to settle the debate once and for all. As if there were any question.

"#WOODERGATE. THAT IS NOT A NORMAL COLLAR. MOVE ON, SIXERS, FIND A NEW GM," screams the billboard in all caps. The text is accompanied by a bird resembling the Twitter logo hovering inside a large, white collar.

The billboard was the work of Brian Hart, a lifelong Sixers fan and founder of Flackable, a public relations and marketing agency based in Philadelphia. In a news release, Hart said he polled fans on Twitter asking whether he should put up the billboard. Of the 1,087 votes received, 96 percent of respondents voted yes.

"At Flackable, we trust the process, and we love this team," Hart said in the release. "I'm optimistic the organization will listen to the clear message coming from our passionate fan base and do the right thing."

Hart is not the only one calling for an end to Woodergate. A petition on Change.org that calls for the 76ers to fire Colangelo has more than 1,700 signatures.

While some sporting scandals, like Deflategate, might have been wider-ranging and others, like Toiletgate and Strippergate, might have more salacious names, we believe Philly blew it out of the wooder with Woodergate.

So give yourself a hand, Philadelphia, and treat yourself to a little wooder ice today.