An NFL player has been arrested for assaulting a woman he was dating.

According to ESPN, a second-year payer for the Cleveland Browns, Perrion Winfrey, who plays the defensive tackle position, was arrested earlier this week on a misdemeanor assault complaint in Texas. The incident took place on Monday, April 10.

The Cleveland Browns organization said through a spokesperson that the team is “aware of the situation and gathering more information.”

Winfrey was accused of grabbing the hand of a woman he was dating, and in doing so, he caused her “bodily injury,” according to Harris County court records. He was arrested and charged with one count of assault at 7 p.m. Monday. He is currently free after posting a $1,000 bond and was told not to have contact with the victim.

The complaint said that the Browns defensive player had “unlawfully, intentionally and knowingly” caused bodily injury to the woman by grabbing and pulling her with his hand. The charge was classified as an “assault of a family member” because the two are allegedly dating.

This latest arrest is not a good look for the Cleveland Brown,s who signed quarterback Deshaun Watson last summer after allegations from 22 women accusing him of sexual misconduct.

Watson missed the 2021-2022 NFL season due to the sexual misconduct allegations by the 22 women who provided massages during his time with the Houston Texans. Nearly two weeks after a grand jury refused to indict him, a second grand jury declined to indict him.

Watson, according to NFL.com, was suspended 11 games and had to pay a $5 million fine for multiple violations of the league’s personal conduct policy.

Last year, in March, Watson agreed to waive his no-trade clause with his previous team, the Houston Texans, to sign a five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract with the Cleveland Browns. Based on the allegations from almost two dozen women, the team was widely criticized by fans and the media.

• News

by Iman Milner

April 14, 2023

Let’s Talk About It: Oprah Opens Up About The Reality of Menopause

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If there’s one thing we know about Oprah, she never shies away from the naked truth.

It seems that she’s always been an open book and, by way of her own vulnerability, we’ve all found ways to cope with some of life’s most difficult moments. Recently, the media mogul opened up about her experience with menopause. In a world so often obsessed with the illusion of staying “young forever,” it’s often a topic women avoid, although it’s an experience every woman will have.

You cannot outfox the Big M,” said Winfrey. “The menopause train is coming no matter what.”

Drawing inspiration from the book, “The Wisdom of Menopause” by Dr. Christiane Northrup, the billionaire became one of the first media personalities to discuss the topic publicly and with honesty. Through her “The Life You Want” class, she’s become a menopause advocate by developing a detailed curriculum to provide people with the necessary tools to navigate both perimenopause and menopause fearlessly. And we all know that Oprah has no problem calling on her famous pals to join her on a journey. Drew Barrymore, Gayle King, Maria Shriver, and menopause experts Sharon Malone, MD, Heather Hirsch, MD, and Judith Joseph, MD, all joined Winfrey for a transparent and thought-provoking discussion.

This isn’t the first time the Cecil B. Demille Award recipient has opened up about her menopause-related symptoms. In 2019, she penned an essay detailing her experience with restlessness and extreme heart palpitations that led to multiple doctor visits, a heart monitor, and medication. Though these are symptoms that over 48% of women also share, no medical professionals drew a correlation to menopause. “Until that point in my adult life, I don’t recall one serious conversation with another woman about what to expect. Sure, I’d heard about hot flashes. But I wasn’t prepared for palpitations,” Winfrey wrote.

She hopes that with more open conversations around the matter, women, especially Black women whom research indicates go through menopause 8.5 times earlier than others, can be better prepared and know what to look for as indicators. “And, after my menstrual cycle stopped for good, at 53, I wasn’t prepared to have such difficulty concentrating. Reading, my favorite pastime, became a chore. Suddenly my attitude toward most things was ‘whatever.’ I wasn’t vibrant. My whole world dulled down a couple of notches.”

Suffering in silence can create shame cycles and feelings of isolation, so it’s great to see the topic being discussed in such open forums. Thanks, Oprah!

Actress Regina King shed tears while realizing why her grandmother was a “very sad woman” when she learned about her late grandfather’s double life on “Finding Your Roots.”

The Academy Award-winning actress appeared in the latest Season 8 episode, where she was given information about her late father’s upbringing that helped her understand him more since he didn’t open up much about his childhood, Today reports.

King, 52, recalled how mysterious her late father, Thomas King Jr., was before his passing in 2009.

“Growing up, I never really knew much about him other than he loved us and where he worked and his friends, who were his good friends,” King said.

“But never did he share (his roots).”

Host Henry Louis Gates Jr. surprised “The Harder They Fall” star when he informed her about her late grandfather, Thomas King Sr., missing parts of her father’s childhood.

“From my vantage point as a girl, my grandfather was definitely in (my father’s) life because I knew my grandfather,” King recalled. “My grandfather actually gave me away at my wedding.”

The “If Beale Street Could Talk” star was more surprised to learn about the public records that show her late grandfather had two separate families in two different cities. King’s father and grandmother, Ruby, lived in Memphis, while her grandfather was legally married to a woman named Cora, who lived in Chicago.

“I don’t understand,” King said after reading the census. She recalled the truth about her grandfather’s double life never being discussed in her family.

The revelation helped King better understand her grandmother’s behavior during her childhood.

“My grandmother was a very sad woman. I remember that as a little girl,” King said.

The “Ray” star now admits to having mixed emotions about her late grandfather after learning the truth about his two families.

“It makes me angry,” she said. “It makes me feel sad for my dad.”

Later King learned about her late grandfather’s challenging upbringing, which included his parents divorcing and his mother leaving to go live with a new husband in another city.

“My mind is just … this is a lot to take in,” King said. “A lot I’ve never seen and never heard.”

She noted her family’s “patterns” of pain and called the revelations “unimaginable.”

“Pain is inherited as well as joy,” she said.

• Business

by Stacy Jackson

April 14, 2023

This Black Woman Entrepreneur’s Pivot From Retail to Cannabis Industry Opens Doors to Generational Wealth

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This businesswoman believes that for African Americans to be respected, there has to be financial stability and generational wealth throughout the community.

Black entrepreneur Aja Allen is living her best life after deciding to open the doors to her own marijuana shop, Sixty Four & Hope, in Central Los Angeles.

According to MJBizDaily, in Allen’s efforts to create generational wealth for her family, the businesswoman bowed out of working in retail fashion to pursue the marijuana industry. After winning a social equity license with the help of investment company 4thMvmt, she opened the franchise location.

“When social equity was presented to me by 4thMvmt, I said, ‘Wow, this is such a great opportunity,’” Allen shared. “It’s a retail store, something that I’m passionate about. It’s cannabis, something I’m super passionate about.”

 

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Allen said when people stop by her shop, it provides an opportunity to educate them about the meaning behind the name, which alludes to the “legalization of cannabis with Proposition 64” and the idea that “now there’s a ton of hope wrapped around that.”

“It is a dream realized,” she said. “It’s not about having a million dollars. For me, it’s about being a pillar in my community. That was a dream of mine.”

For Allen, growing up in a tough neighborhood and living in an environment where dead bodies were often seen in her alley caused a lot of PTSD, resulting in her relying on cannabis to decompress. “A lot of my friends went to jail for cannabis,” she said.

Allen advises other BIPOC entrepreneurs interested in the industry to stay diligent.

According to a 2022 report, data on women holding executive positions in the cannabis industry showed little gain over the past year. The 23.1% is down sharply from 36.8% in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If this is your dream, do not give up,” Allen added. “Continue to advocate for yourself, for the rest of us as a cannabis community.”

• Entertainment

by Iman Milner

April 14, 2023

A Gift From The Hart: Kevin Hart Gives $10K Grants To Two Vegan Businesses

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Comedian Kevin Hart is always finding ways to lift as he climbs.

With his latest venture into vegan dining, he’s proving that once again. The box office titan and comedic rockstar, through his tequila brand Gran Coramino Tequila, has gifted two vegan business owners $10K each. Through The Coramino Fund, a partnership between Gran Coramino Tequila and national nonprofit Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Hart will join in to uplift Black and Latinx -owned businesses that often find it hard to access capital and lack the resources necessary for growth.

With grants totaling $500,000, the fund equally allocates funds among 50 winners. This year’s list includes two plant-based businesses: Black Leaf Vegan, a plant-based café located in Indianapolis, and Mama Roots, a vegan food truck based in Duluth, Minnesota. Both businesses focus on bringing healthy, vegan options to their communities while educating residents about the benefits of plant-based eating.

“[Beckmann] and I always knew we wanted Gran Coramino to have a give-back component that focused on providing Black and Latinx entrepreneurs with resources to pursue their small business dreams,” Hart said. “Teaming up with LISC last year to launch The Coramino Fund in the US was the start of that journey.” Of the 50 winning businesses, 50% are Black-owned, 36% are Latinx-owned, and 14% are Black- and Latinx-owned. Women-owned businesses make up a large majority of the grant recipients, with 68% of the funding.

Black Leaf Vegan is one of two vegan food award recipients and the only one from Indiana. Its owner, Derrick Slack, believes their message sets them apart. “We’re in a space where we can really encourage a lot of people to change their DNA, literally change the trajectory of their family’s health consciousness, and in the process, expand our brand,” Slack told VegNews. Slack, who co-owns the business with his wife, Taria, says long before the restaurant opened its doors in 2022, they were both already committed to making healthier food options more accessible for members of their community. “We started to look at our food choices, and [asked], ‘How can we be more healthy? How can we raise our three children to be more healthy,’” he said.

Last year, Hart opened two locations of Hart House, a rapidly growing vegan fast-food chain that serves burgers, salads, nuggets, and chicken sandwiches. “The goal is to see Hart Houses right smack dab in the middle of where you would see a McDonald’s, a Burger King, a Chick-Fil-A, [and] a Wendy’s [so] people can have the option for a plant-based taste, as well,” Hart said at the time.

Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington will finally share the screen in Netflix’s film adaption of the Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play, “The Piano Lesson.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jackson and Washington will be reprising their roles after wrapping their successful Broadway revival of the August Wilson-created play co-starring Danielle Brooks. The film will follow Netflix’s film adaptation of August Wilson’s other renowned play, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”

It’ll be a family affair for the Washington family as Denzel Washington is set to produce the film with Todd Black, while his other son, Malcolm Washington, will make his directorial and screenwriting debut based on a screenplay he penned with Virgil Williams (Mudbound), as noted by Deadline.

Jackson and his wife, LaTanya Richardson, helped lead the Broadway production, with Richardson directing her husband and the “Hateful Eight” star starring opposite Brooks and Denzel’s eldest son.

“The Piano Lesson” is set in 1936 Pittsburgh and tells the story of a Black family dealing with pain from the aftermath of the Great Depression. The Doaker Charles household family heirloom is a decorated piano with designs carved by an enslaved ancestor and polished with the tears and blood of their late mother.

Others cast in the film adaption include Ray Fisher, “Till” actress Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Potts, and Corey Hawkins. The original stage play was part of August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle,” 10 famed plays, including “Fences” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”

Denzel starred in the 2016 film adaption of “Fences” alongside Viola Davis, who starred in the Netflix film version of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Washington directed and starred in the film adaption after he and Davis starred in a 2010 Broadway revival of the famed stage play.

“Fences” secured four Academy Awards nominations in 2017, including Best Picture, Actor, and Adapted Screenplay, with Davis winning for Best Supporting Actress.

• News

by Iman Milner

April 14, 2023

All Hail The Queen: Queen Latifah And Super Mario Bros. Make Recording Registry History

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It feels good to be Queen.

Dana Owens, better known by her stage moniker Queen Latifah, has yet another jewel to add to her crown. The National Recording Registry has announced that her debut album, All Hail The Queen, released in 1989, will be entered into the Library of Congress. The honor marks the first for a female rapper. Recorded when she was just a teenager, Latifah broke down barriers in the industry with her anthems of women empowerment. “Her album showed rap could cross genres including reggae, hip-hop, house, and jazz — while also opening opportunities for other female rappers,” the Library of Congress statement said.

The LOC is the home of more than four million recordings. Each year, the list of new additions includes everything from popular songs to stirring speeches—a diversity unmatched by many national collections. “The National Recording Registry preserves our history through recorded sound and reflects our nation’s diverse culture,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden in a statement announcing the 25 recordings to be preserved for posterity this year.

The “U.N.I.T.Y.” rapper is not the only first landing on the list. The 1986 theme song for the Super Mario Bros. game will also mark the inaugural inclusion of a video game anthem. Composer Koji Kondo, 61, a college senior when he created the tune, says he had very little inspiration to pull from at the time. “So I really had to be very innovative and make full use of the musical and programming ingenuity that we had at the time,” Kondo told the Library of Congress through an interpreter. “I used all sorts of genres that matched what was happening on screen. We had jingles to encourage players to try again after getting a ‘game over,’ fanfares to congratulate them for reaching goals, and pieces that sped up when the time remaining grew short.”

Two other notable additions to the Library of Congress this year are Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas” and Madonna‘s “Like A Virgin.”

When Shaquille O’Neal declared LSU women’s basketball player Angel Reese “the greatest athlete ever to come out of LSU sports,” he got pushback for the statement, with some saying former LSU football player Joe Burrow fits that bill. But, one former player, a very respected and decorated former LSU athlete, disagrees with Shaq on his coronation.

According to TMZ, track-and-field legend Lolo Jones has something to say to the NBA Hall of Famer for anointing Reese the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of all time).

Although she admittedly said she wouldn’t say she deserves the title, she is definitely in the conversation. As a student at LSU, Jones, who went on to make a big splash in the Olympics, won MORE titles than Burrow. She won three NCAA titles and earned 11 All-American honors as a student-athlete.

But, she thinks Shaq was “high” on pain medication and wanted to stir the pot with the claim.

“Shaq knew what he was doing,” Jones said. “Shaq’s just bored. He’s coming off hip surgery. He’s chilling at home. I think Shaq, honestly, is high on some pain medicines. The list is so big with LSU.”

Jones names several Olympians who attended LSU to counter Shaq’s claim. She also mentions baseball athletes who attended the university and had great stats.

“So, for Shaq to have the audacity to say ‘she’s the best ever,’” Jones continued, “I’m like, ‘Bro, chill on the pain meds,’ because that list is arduous. So long.”

She acknowledges her awards and accomplishments but insists she means no disrespect toward Reese.

“We’re not hating on Angel. We love to see it. She’s cooking. Let her keep cooking. But I’m telling you, LSU track and field is the powerhouse for that university.”

She goes on to say that LSU track and field has the most national titles.

Check out the video below:

• News

by Iman Milner

April 14, 2023

Finally: First QB Helmet Designed To Reduce Concussions Has Been Approved by NFL

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The first quarterback-specific helmet designed to help reduce the risk of concussions has been approved for use by the NFL and NFLPA.

According to the Associated Press, the helmet, which Vicis created, lessens the impact of helmet-to-ground collisions, which league data says accounts for almost half of all quarterback-sustained concussions. Fans of the sport may remember the scary moment when Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa was rendered unconscious after his head slammed into the turf during a game against Cincinnati. “We’ve now analyzed with our engineers and with the Players Association more than a 1,000 concussions on field, we have a pretty good database of how these injuries occur,” NFL executive Jeff Miller said. “This helmet performs better in laboratory testing than any helmets we have ever seen for those sorts of impacts.”

The Vicis helmet performed 7% better than the most popular headgear worn by quarterbacks last season, the league said in a memo sent to team executives on Thursday. It’s still in early discussions as an executive for the company said that they only began designing the Zero2 Matrix QB helmet last year. “The unique thing is that it has a deformal outer shell, which means when you take an impact in any location on that helmet, it will deform or basically dent in that location to absorb the impact,” Vicis executive Jason Neubauer said. “What that means for us, as designers or engineers, as we’re looking to optimize it for different types of impacts, we’re able to change unique locations to try to optimize the impact mitigation in any one area.”

The NFL and the player’s union are responsible for sharing data with teams and their players so that quarterbacks can make informed decisions about which helmet they’ll use in the coming seasons. The only other positions that can use the Zero2 Matrix design are offensive and defensive linemen.

Hopefully, this is the first step of many to protect the health of football players.

• News

by Iman Milner

April 14, 2023

For Life! Will Smith and Martin Lawrence Reunite On The Set of ‘Bad Boys 4’

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Bad Boys…come out and play!

Movie stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are back to reprise their roles as Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett for the fourth chapter in their “Bad Boys” film franchise.

Smith and Lawrence were spotted on set in Atlanta this past week, with Smith in his character’s costume while Lawrence arrived in a maroon tracksuit. According to photos published by The Daily Mail, NBA-veteran-turned-actor John Salley will also be part of this film, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer was also on hand. No details on the plot of this film have been released yet.

In January, both franchise stars announced that a fourth film was coming in a video shared to Instagram, where Smith was seen driving to Lawrence’s house. The former Martin star opened the door and said, “It’s about that time?” before the two embraced, with Smith turning the camera on them to announce, “It’s official, y’all. Bad Boys for life, baby!”

The franchise began at the height of fame for both of its stars in 1995 and has earned more than $840 million at the box office. Something tells us that this will be a billion-dollar undertaking when it’s all said and done. Rumblings off a fourth film began last year but were all but silenced following Smith’s Oscar incident involving comedian Chris Rock; however, rapper Questlove seemed to reignite rumors when he spoke to Variety about why the “Getting Jiggy Wit It” rapper was left out of the Grammy’s 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop celebration in February. “I’ll give the spoiler alert away. Will Smith was a part of the festivities tonight, but they started shooting Bad Boys 4 this week,” Questlove, 52, said. “There were a lot of preliminary shots that he had to do, so we had to lose Will.”