Buzzfeed is reporting that an independent investigation by the Civilian Complaint and Review Board found that the the New York Police Department officer who mistakenly arrested James Blake last month used excessive force during the takedown.
“I appreciate the efforts of the CCRB to advance this investigation,” Blake said in a statement.
The NYPD arrested Blake on Sep. 9, after a group of plainclothes officers mistook him for a suspect in a credit card fraud scheme. The violent arrest, in which an officer tackled the athlete without warning, was captured on video. It soon emerged neither Blake nor the suspect, both of whom are black, had any connection to the scheme.
“We have been made aware of the CCRB’s findings. The department’s internal review is still on-going,” the NYPD said in a statement.
Although Blake was not seriously injured, the incident unleashed a public relations crisis for the NYPD, which still struggles with allegations of racial profiling and excessive force. Both Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton issued rare public apologies to the athlete, who said he welcomed the apologies but insisted that the city take substantive steps to address the issues.
The CCRB’s finding opens the door for a departmental trial against Officer James Frascatore, who tackled Blake, and Detective Daniel Herzog, who was also involved in the arrest. The two officers will have an advocate who will contrast their side of the story with the CCRB’s finding. In the end, Commissioner Bratton will have the final say on whether the officers will be disciplined, and if so in what form.
Yogi Berra, the New York Yankees All-Star catcher who became as famed for his humorous adages as his athletic prowess, died Tuesday, the Yogi Berra Museum reported. He was 90.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that Yogi Berra passed away Tuesday night at the age of 90,” the museum wrote in a statement.
The New York Yankees and Major League Baseball also reported news of Berra’s death
The legendary athlete was one of the most beloved competitors of our time — his kindness, humility and good humor complemented his gifts on the baseball diamond. Some of Berra’s famous quotes, such as “It ain’t over ’til it’s over,” became timeless and are still repeated today.
Berra played on 14 pennant-winning and 10 World Championship teams — more than any other player in baseball history.
Presented with the opportunity to work with the CEO of Starbucks to open more franchises in predominantly black neighborhoods, NBA great Shaquille O’Neal said that he declined the offer because “black people don’t drink coffee.”
Speaking to reporter Graham Bensinger, Shaq recalled his encounter with Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz.
“My agent called me up and he says ‘Howard Schultz wants to do business with you, and I’m like, ‘coffee, eh.’ Because growing up, in my household, I’d never seen a black person drink coffee. So it was my thought process that black people didn’t drink coffee.”
“I’m always a guy that, if I don’t believe in it, I can’t do it,” O’Neal said. “No amount of money can make me endorse something that I’m not 100% behind.
“I looked at the great Howard Schultz’s face and said, ‘Black people don’t drink coffee, sir. I don’t think it’s gonna work.’ And you should have seen the look on his face!”
Maybe I need to dump my cup. I never got the memo stating that I’m not supposed to drink this stuff.
Reports are coming in that famed NBA legend Moses Malone, has died. He was 60 years old.
Moses Malone, a three-time NBA MVP and one of the greatest players in professional basketball history, has died at 60, according to multiple reports.
Malone died in his sleep at a hotel in Virginia where he was set to play in a golf tournament, former teammate Calvin Murphy told Fox 26 in Houston.
Malone went straight to the ABA from high school in 1974 and starred in the startup league before becoming a legend when the ABA and NBA merged. He became a monster on the boards in Houston, leading the league with 17.6 rebounds per game in 1979 as he won his first MVP award. The team confirmed the loss of the Rocket legend on Twitter.
The following statement is from The Philadelphia 76ers.
“It is with a deep sense of sadness that the Sixers family mourns the sudden loss of Moses Malone. It is difficult to express what his contributions to this organization – both as a friend and player – have meant to us, the city of Philadelphia and his faithful fans. Moses holds a special place in our hearts and will forever be remembered as a genuine icon and pillar of the most storied era in the history of Philadelphia 76ers basketball. No one person has ever conveyed more with so few words — including three of the most iconic in this city’s history. His generosity, towering personality and incomparable sense of humor will truly be missed. We will keep his family in our thoughts and prayers and as we are once again reminded of the preciousness of life.”
So Serena Williams just won the Wimbledon… again! This is obviously a big story, but for a particular Republican, it is a big story for a whole other reason.
In what he is now calling a private twitter conversation, as if there is such a thing, David Frum, a former speechwriter for George Bush, is suggesting on Twitter that Serena Williams is on steroids.Yes, you heard that right. Without any proof whatsoever, Frum concluded that Williams is on steroids, and the rest of the media is ignoring this fact.
Realizing the insanity of his statement, Frum tried to take it all back, saying that his words were not intended for public domain. But, the damage was already done and Twitter users were on his case!
Just like a Republican. Manufacturing your talking-points based on absolutely nothing. And believe those talking points as facts.
I’m sure you’ve heard the news by now. Keith Olbermann is leaving ESPN. If you haven’t heard yet, read the next story. And that’s all I’m going to say about this. Keith Olbermann has something he wants to say. In short, Keith Olbermann said he’s “going to become Donald Trump’s campaign manager.”
“While the show’s (“Olbermann”) content was distinctive and extremely high quality, we ultimately made a business decision to move in another direction,” the ESPN Faculty said in a statement. “We wish Keith nothing but the best and trust that his skill and ability will lead him to another programming endeavor.”
Olbermann’s contract was set to expire at the end of this month.
Really? A video that can be interpreted as domestic violence? Who in their right mind thought this would have been funny and that showing it at a basket ball playoff game would be ideal?
During a timeout at their game against the Chicago Bulls, the one-minute video spoofs a health care commercial where a couple recreates the final dance scene from the movie “Dirty Dancing.”
In the Cavs’ parody, a man, dressed in a Cleveland Cavaliers T-shirt, is seen suggestively dancing around the kitchen with his partner, a woman. As he completes the “lift,” he realizes she’s wearing a red Chicago Bulls T-shirt, prompting him to throw her down on the ground.
Hey ladies, Tiger Woods is back on the market… not sure if he ever left, but…
LindseyVonn and Tiger Woods call it quits | Fox News
Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn and golfing beau Tiger Woods have played their final round.
They announced their breakup Sunday, citing the “hectic lives” that keep them apart for long stretches of time.
“After nearly three years together, Tiger and I have mutually decided to end our relationship,” Vonn told fans on Facebook.
“I will always cherish the memories that we’ve created together. Unfortunately, we both lead incredibly hectic lives that force us to spend a majority of our time apart.”
She put the best spin possible on the breakup: “I will always admire and respect Tiger. He and his beautiful family will always hold a special place in my heart.”
Woods posted a very similar message on his Web site.
“Lindsey and I have mutually decided to stop dating,” he wrote.
“I have great admiration, respect and love for Lindsey and I’ll always cherish our time together. She has been amazing with Sam and Charlie and my entire family.”
So I watched the Floyd Mayweather / Manny Pacquiao fight last night and when it was all over, there were lots of shouting and disbelief over the fight itself and its outcome.
You see, I was the only one in the room of 7 people who wanted Mayweather to win. Now let me explain. I am not a fan of Mayweather. If I had to choose who the better human was between Mayweather and Pacquiao, I’ll definitely pick Pacquiao. Pacquiao is all about helping the people of his country while Mayweather is all about helping… Mayweather. But last night was not about being the better human, it was about being the better and smarter fighter. So that’s why I thought Mayweather was going to take it.
Pacquiao walked out to the ring all smiles. At one point, he even stopped and took a selfie, a move the other people in the room saw as a man of confidence. I took the smiles and selfie move as a man who was concerned he was going up against a fighter who had never been defeated. The smiles and selfie I thought, were just Pacquiao’s way of masking his real concerns.
Mayweather on the other hand walked out to the ring all serious, no smiles, no selfie. To me, I took that as a man on a mission, a man who was focus on getting the job done. The other people in the room contrasted Mayweather’s demeanor with that of Pacquiao and concluded Mayweather’s seriousness was because he was concerned. “Mayweather,” they said, “had never had a fighter like Pacquiao and he was afraid of being hit, afraid of losing.”
Then the fight began and Pacquiao did what everyone expected him to do. He went at Mayweather. Pacquiao fought for the people, he tried to give the audience what they paid for. Pacquiao was aggressive and went for the knockout on multiple occasions. But Mayweather was not cooperating to the dismay of the other people in the room with me.
Mayweather did his homework. He knew that going toe-to-toe with Pacquiao would result to a loss. Pacquiao is a brawler in the ring and standing in front of him taking punches and jabs is no way to win a fight. So Mayweather allowed Pacquiao to stay in attack mode from the first round to the last. Mayweather’s only hope was to avoid getting hit while landing some timely punches, and that he did.
In the end, Mayweather was a runner. He spent a lot of time on the ropes trying to get away from the attacking Pacquiao. Needless to say, the people in the room with me were all screaming at the screen, calling Mayweather all sorts of names and totally expressing their frustrations at him for running. But these people, and millions more around the world who felt disappointed by Mayweather’s technique, clearly missed one important aspect of boxing – Defense, the art of avoiding getting hit the best way you can!
At the end of the 12 rounds, Mayweather was called the winner and the room erupted in more screams and disbelief. These people couldn’t understand what had just happened. They saw Pacquiao in attack mode for 12 rounds and they saw Mayweather playing defense the whole time, so as far as they were concerned, Pacquiao won. They couldn’t understand how Mayweather got the win. Then this statistic was shown on the screen – Mayweather landed more punches than Pacquiao.
Pacquiao threw 429 punches, landed 81 for a 19% effective rate. Mayweather threw 435 punches, landed 149 for a 34% effective rate.
Seeing this, I asked the disbelievers in the room, “why do you guys think Pacquiao won when he threw less and landed less punches than Mayweather?”
I got this angry answer in response: “You can’t fight the wind!”
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