More trouble from the failed Antonio Brown partnership with the National Arena League (NAL).

Less than a week after his team, the Albany Empire, was kicked out of the league for not making mandatory payments to the league, members of the Empire plan to file a class-action lawsuit against Brown, head coach Moe Leggett told The Times-Union.  

“I’m frustrated,” Leggett said. “I’m frustrated. I tried to give (Brown) the benefit of the doubt. I tried to work with him. I was trying to be the peacemaker, the mediator, to make sure things ran smoothly and just under the radar. But I can no longer do that.”

After players and staff were paid for their last game against Orlando, someone posted a screenshot of the payment being reversed on June 21, 2023, in a group chat. Leggett said the picture caused him to check his bank account the following day—the payment he initially received was deducted from his account.

Leggett also mentioned he attempted to contact Brown, Brown’s accountant Alex Gunaris, and team president Alberony Denis but was unsuccessful. 

Fabian Guerra, an Empire wide receiver, was picked up by the Massachusetts Pirates, an Indoor Football League team based in Worcester, MA. Although he had a casual relationship with Brown, he said he would join the class-action lawsuit to get his money back.

“I feel like this was his plan all along,” Guerra said. “I feel like he does stuff for social media and to sell his songs. I think it’s just what he does. That’s the type of guy he is. No one trusts him anymore. I see it hard for him to get any future deals going because of how he is as a person.”

After Brown refused to pay the National Arena League the required 1/7 of the league’s operating budget, the team’s board of owners unanimously agreed to terminate the membership agreement of the Albany Empire.

This year’s 2023 NBA Draft (which took place in New York City at the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets) was one for the record books! For the first time in history and in any sport, the top 10 players selected in the draft were represented by Black agents, according to an Instagram post by Diverse Representation.

 

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1. 1. Victor Wembanyama- San Antonio Spurs (Represented by Comsportt’s Bouna Ndiaye)
   2. Brandon Miller- Charlotte Hornets (Represented by SAI Sports Management’s Wilmer Jackson)
   3. Scoot Henderson- Portland Trail Blazers (Represented by Par-Lay Sports and Entertainment’s Steve Haney)
   4. Amen Thompson- Houston Rockets (Represented by G.A.P.P. Sports Group’s Troy Thompson)
   5. Ausar Thompson- Detroit Pistons (Represented by G.A.P.P. Sports Group’s Troy Thompson)
   6. Anthony Black- Orlando Magic (Represented by WME Sports’ Bill Duffy)
   7. Bilal Coulibaly- Washington Wizards (Represented by Comportt’s Bouna Ndiaye)
   8. Jarace Walker- Indiana Pacers (Represented by WME Sports’ Bill Duffy and Joe Branch)
   9. Taylor Hendricks- Utah Jazz (Represented by I AM Sports & Entertainment’s Raymond Brothers)
   10. Cason Wallace- Oklahoma City Thunder (Represented by Excel Sports Management’s Marcus MonkDiverse Representation also lists the players selected and the agency and/or agent that represents them.)

    

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This NBA Draft also marked the first time twin brothers (Amen and Ausar Thompson) were selected in the top five selection of players. They were also selected back-to-back (the No. 4 and No. 5 draft picks), a feat that many believe may never be duplicated in any sport.

The Athletic also confirmed the Thompsons are not the only twins selected in the NBA Draft. That distinction occurred over 10 years ago when Marcus and Markieff Morris were picked. The two brothers were selected in 2011 as the No. 13 and No.14 picks that year.

RELATED CONTENT: Does the NBA Have a Colorism Issue? Twitter Starts Conversation About Current Draft Class

• News

by Iman Milner

June 27, 2023

Report: Rent Prices Slowly Dropping After Pandemic Spike

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American renters may soon be able to breathe a sigh of relief. Housing costs have begun to drop for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The Washington Post.

In May 2023, rent prices saw a 0.5 percent decrease for the first time since 2020. During the COVID-19 peak, many people made plans to change their living arrangements, resulting in a huge demand for rental properties and a spike in prices. For landlords, it was an opportunity to cash in on the needs of the American people, but for renters it was the first real sign of how much inflation would affect their daily lives for the foreseeable future.

In July 2022, the median asking rent for 0-2 bedroom units was well over $1,800, which has decreased by $38 over the last 11 months, according to Realtor.com.

Still, that number is over $300 more than the highest asking price one year before the pandemic began and there is no clear path to determining if numbers will continue to decline throughout the summer.

“It has been a long time coming,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com. “But it does beg the question of how far will rents dip?” Though the answer to how much and for how long rent prices will decrease remains a mystery, experts predict that renters have seen the last of astronomical increases.

“The image I have in my head is like a balloon that floats quickly to the ceiling, and then it’s on the ceiling sort of bouncing around,” said Igor Popov, chief economist at Apartment List. “Rents are kind of sitting on the ceiling like a balloon that just floated up.”

The summer months can usually be a time when rent increases; however, the flattening of rates seems to point to an easier road ahead for those looking to take on new leases.

A mobile bus is making sure Black studies is being taught to New York City students—regardless of how hard too many other areas of the country try to stop it.

“The Black Studies: An Education for Me + You Bookmobile” is distributing books featured in this fall’s new Black Studies curriculum in the city’s five boroughs—Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island—CBS News reports.

Students of New York City public schools can get their hands on stacks of books by diverse voices with stories that cater to young readers. Created by The United Way and the Education Equity Action Plan Coalition, the bus was turned into a museum in addition to providing positive resources to neighborhoods thanks to 5,000 books by Black authors.

On top of receiving books, Bookmobile provides lessons on local history like the Harlem Renaissance and inner pride. “It’s a small snippet of what the Black Studies curriculum could potentially look like,” Grace Bonilla, president and CEO of United Way of NYC, said of the Bookmobile program. The benefits extend beyond students.

“These books will be a resource for teachers to say, well how do I talk about this particular subject or this particular time in history, and how do I integrate that into something that’s fun for kids to do?” Bonilla added. “It’s just going to give educators choices.”

The latest stop for the bus was Staten Island on June 23. Visitors received free books for students in pre-K to the eighth grade. Guests also had the chance to interact with a series of vignettes related to the Black experience and engage in interactive activities on an actual school bus.

The city’s Department of Education is hoping to include Staten Island’s Sandy Ground among the lessons being taught, which would introduce students to the nation’s oldest free Black settlement still occupied by descendants of the original settlers, according to SI Live.

A player from Snoop Dogg’s youth football league is prepping to make more money than some professionals.

According to Fox 59, 9-year-old Ghalee Wadood Jr. recently inked a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal reportedly worth six figures with the Family 4 Life sports agency. He is the youngest and first player from Snoop’s league to sign such an agreement.

Wadood Jr.’s father is no stranger to football either. He is an associate manager for high school football for the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams. 

“It’s kinda surreal,” Ghalee Wadood Sr. said. “It’s humbling and exciting for [the agency] to see his potential and want to manage him.”

The deal was well-earned. In his first year of playing in the league, Wadood Jr. was named most valuable player. “For him to win that, in his first year, it just speaks volumes,” Ghalee Wadood Sr. said. “No first-year kid has ever won such a prestigious award in a really competitive league.”

But the father still wants his son to live the life of a regular 9-year-old.

“I just want him to stay on the course and hope he doesn’t get too satisfied too early and continues to work hard,” Wadood Sr. said.

Although Wadood has made such a notable move, he is just the latest football player who has played in Snoop’s league to receive such high recognition. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster who recently signed with the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Charger linebacker Daiyan Henley, former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver De’Anthony Thomas, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver John Ross, and late former Denver Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman all played in the league before playing in the NFL according to Football USA.

Snoop Dogg founded the non-profit youth league in 2005 as a way for inner-city kids to participate in youth football and cheer programs, according to the league’s website.

• News

by Sharelle Burt

June 27, 2023

Florida Black Farmers Can Now Receive Medical Marijuana Licenses Thanks To A New Bud Bill

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Florida governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis just signed a bill for the benefit of Black farmers.

He signed bill HB 387 that will extend telehealth renewals on medical marijuana and guarantee Black farmers can actually participate in the industry, Florida Politics reported. Originally, the bill focused on the extension of being able to renew medical marijuana prescriptions remotely. The issue of giving Black farmers medical marijuana license authorization came after.

State Rep. Spencer Roach (R-FL.) said this bill is historic for Florida. “Gov. DeSantis continues to demonstrate his commitment to expanding patient access to medicine, in alignment with the overwhelming majority of Florida voters,” Roach said. The bill was approved unanimously by the Senate after years of fighting. Sen. Darryl Rouson (D-FL.) said it is a step forward in the fight for justice with Black farmers, falling victim not once but twice – first by the USDA in 1999 and then again in 2016 when Florida voters first approved medical cannabis but didn’t include the Black farmers with licensing. “This bill goes a long way toward giving them justice and giving them the opportunity to participate in the medical benefits of marijuana and the largesse that has been enjoyed by other members of the industry,” Rouson said.

“It’s a wonderful day that we have come to this point in the journey.”

According to Health News Florida, the process to give Black farmers licenses was started in 2021 by the Florida Department of Health. The agency received 12 applications that were then evaluated by a private contractor. The license was awarded to Suwannee County-based farmer Terry Gwinn, however, due to legal and administrative issues, it was never finalized. Now that HB 387 has passed, the department is required to award licenses to applicants whose applications have met “all requirements for licensure” by an administrative law judge. Applications that were found deficient will have 90 days to correct the problems.

The law goes into effect on July 1.

University of Colorado’s head football coach Deion Sanders is starting his road to recovery.

The NFL Hall of Famer was recently released from the hospital after having surgery, Sports Illustrated reported. Sanders had surgery at the UC Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz on June 23 for blood clots found in both his legs. His fiancee, Tracey Edmonds, announced on Instagram that he was home and resting in his own bed.

 

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The emergency surgery was necessary for Prime’s blood flow as he started having issues with blood clots while coaching at Jackson State University. In 2021, Sanders had two toes amputated and on an episode of the YouTube show, The Pregame Show, Dr. Donald Jacobs and Dr. Max Wohlauer alerted Sanders that he could potentially lose his left foot along with other serious issues if he didn’t deal with the pain he felt in his dislocated toe.

As reports came out of him potentially losing his left foot, concerns about the upcoming season started to flow, but Sanders put those to rest. “There’s no talk of amputation,” Sanders said. “There’s no talk of any of that whatsoever. The doctor was just telling me the worst comes to worst. That was gonna happen.”

Edmonds has been by Sanders’ side throughout the entire ordeal. She posted another picture on Instagram before his surgery asking fans for prayers and alerting them that things would be fine.

 

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She also posted a selfie next to Sanders’ hospital bed saying she was staying put. “I’m not leaving this spot until it’s time for #CoachPrime @deionsanders to walk up out of here which we hope will be very soon!,” she wrote. “Sending everyone LOVE.”

Some of the most impactful social and political figures are driven to take the mantle of leadership after tragedy strikes.

Zeneta Everhart and India Walton have entered the realm of politics to advocate for Black people in Buffalo, NY, one year after a racist attack at a Tops Friendly Supermarket. Everhart and Walton are contenders for the same seat on Buffalo’s Common Council.

The race to the seat is not exactly a fight between the two Black women. Everhart commented on her relationship with Walton, “We’re not adversaries, in my book,” according to The Washington Post. A showdown is the last thing a mother who almost lost her son to a racist mass shooter wants. Everhart’s son Zaire Goodman was shot while working during the Tops Friendly Supermarket attack in 2022.

According to The Post, Goodman survived and received an overwhelming amount of support, his mother said. Support from the community motivated Everhart to set her sights on politics. The Post reported on Everhart’s statement about the conviction and why she felt the need to run for a local government office. “Part of me wanting to run for Masten is about paying it forward because of the love that was shown to my son,” she said during a phone interview. The mother and Democrat noted, “People are still dropping off gifts, leaving things on my doorstep for Zaire. And that, to me, means that I have to give back to my community.”

Walton, the other Black woman vying for the Buffalo Common Council seat, has prior experience with primary elections. In 2021, Walton triumphed over incumbent Mayor Byron Brown in the Democratic Party primary for the mayoral election, The New York Times reported. Walton lost to Brown in the general election after he entered the race as a write-in.

Like Everhart, Walton also showed her commitment to the community. She said, “For too long, we’ve seen our city work for politicians, for developers, for the police union, but not for ordinary working families. In our city, everyone will have a seat at the table,” according to The Times.

Primary elections for the local government office will be held on June 27. 

• Politics

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

June 27, 2023

Central Park 5’s Yusef Salaam Vies for Seat on the New York City Council

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After a seat was vacated by Brian Benjamin, Yusef Salaam announced he wanted the New York state Senate seat. Although that didn’t happen, his political aspirations continue, as he has entered into the Democratic primary to determine who will represent Harlem in the city council.

In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Salaam explained why he wanted to become more involved in politics, despite his lack of experience. The 49-year-old is running against two members of the New York Assembly, Al Taylor and Inez Dickens. Although his inexperience may be used against him, it hasn’t stopped him from wanting to fight for his community.

“I’ve often said that those who have been close to the pain should have a seat at the table,” Salaam told the media outlet.

The story of Salaam has been told many times over the past 34 years, and there was even a Netflix documentary about what happened to him and his childhood friends, When They See Us. 

Salaam was 15 years old in 1989, when he and four other teenage boys of color were falsely imprisoned for the rape and brutal assault of a white woman in New York City’s Central Park. At the time, the boys were demonized in the media (and by Donald J. Trump) and became infamously known as the “Central Park 5.” After serving time in prison, they were exonerated in 2002 after convicted murderer and serial rapist Matias Reyes confessed to the crime.

Through that lens, Salaam feels that people can relate to him.

“When people look at me, and they know my story, they resonate with it,” Salaam said. “But now here we are 34 years later, and I’m able to use that platform that I have and repurpose the pain, help people as we climb out of despair.”

He stated there are similarities with his opposing candidates regarding what they want to do for the community. “We all want affordable housing, we all want safe streets, we all want smarter policing, we all want jobs, we all need education.”

But, he also noted that, even with no political experience, he still has a record of fighting for the resources and support the community needs from a new politician. “I have no track record in politics. I have a great track record in the 34 years of the Central Park jogger case in fighting for freedom, justice, and equality.”

After the election on June 27, Harlem may have fresh blood fighting for them.

According to a recent report, the ongoing saga of the Jonathan Majors domestic violence case has taken another turn.

According to Insider, the Creed III actor filed a domestic violence complaint with the New York Police Department against the woman who alleged that he placed his hands on her. The incident, which occurred on March 25, 2023, in New York City, has placed his once-lucrative career on hold while this case is pending. Although Majors alleges that his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari assaulted him, NYPD police officers did not take action against her.

After a recent court appearance, Majors went to the precinct near the alleged assault in Chinatown in Manhattan and told police officers it was Jabbari who assaulted him, not the other way around. He claimed his former girlfriend was “drunk and hysterical” and assaulted him when she scratched, slapped, and grabbed at his face. Insider was able to obtain the incident report.

The police precinct in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan where Majors resides is also looking into the complaint by Majors.

Both precincts had probable cause to arrest Jabbari, according to the actor’s attorney, Priya Chaudhry. An “incident card,” or “I-Card,” which gives police officers the right to take Jabbari into custody, was issued. Yet, the prosecutors working the court case against Majors did not want to pursue the accusations by Majors. At the urging of the district attorney’s office, the “I-Card” was de-activated, based on a law enforcement source and Chaudhry.

The DA’s office has access to evidence that supports Majors allegations, including surveillance footage of the dispute and photos of Majors’ injuries, Chaudhry stated to Insider in a recently published article. In May 2023, Chaudhry publicly stated that this case was racially motivated against her client, revealing she handed over substantial evidence that prosecutors should have looked over to see that what had been reported was inaccurate. She said the DA’s office was changing how they were approaching the case to match the changes in Jabbari’s allegations. 

Jabbari initially stated that Majors attacked her, broke her finger, twisted her arm, and hit her in the ear — all charges that Majors disputed. The next scheduled court date is set for August 3.