A former football player who had a brief stint in the NFL passed away at the age of 25.

According to NFL.com, Jessie Lemonier, who played the outside linebacker position has died. His death was confirmed by his family, but the cause of death wasn’t revealed. Lemonier came into the league as an undrafted player when he played for the Los Angeles Chargers.

The last NFL team he played for, the Detroit Lions, issued a statement regarding the defensive player.

“We are shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of former Detroit Lion Jessie Lemonier.

“Jessie was a model teammate and wonderful young man who is gone far too soon.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”

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— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 26, 2023

The Chargers acknowledged him as well.

gone too soon.

our hearts are with jessie’s family, friends and loved ones 💙 pic.twitter.com/v7Egt6p8va

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) January 26, 2023

ESPN reported that in November Lemonier was drafted into the XFL (the football league founded by WWE’s Vince McMahon) by the Arlington Renegades. Instead of playing for the league, he chose to  sign with the USFL’s Houston Gamblers for the upcoming season, but then he was traded to the Birmingham Stallions.

He played seven games with the Lions during the 2021 season, where he recorded 17 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Last summer, he signed with the Arizona Cardinals, but the team released him during training camp.

Lemonier’s agent, Drew Smith of DEC Management, stated that Lemonier and his girlfriend were expecting a child.

The school that Lemonier played at for two seasons, Liberty University, also released a statement.

“The Liberty Athletics family is deeply saddened to learn about the passing of former Flames football great Jessie Lemonier. Jessie was loved by Flames Nation for being a fierce competitor on the gridiron and cherished by his coaches and teammates in the locker room.”

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— Liberty Football (@LibertyFootball) January 26, 2023

Todrick Hall has come under fire for suggesting a “toxic workplace” at The Ellen Degeneres Show could have factored into Stephen “tWitch” Boss‘ death.

People close to late DJ and dancer, who died by suicide at age 40 late last year, are slamming Hall for his claims, which he shared while hyping his new show, The Real Friends of WeHo. 

A source who was close to tWitch ripped Hall in an interview with TMZ, telling the outlet, “It’s extremely negligent and self-serving of Todrick to assume he knows what led to tWitch’s death,” before adding that it’s “unfortunate he would speculate, especially while promoting his own project.”

TMZ reported that tWitch “loved his time on Ellen,” where he was a DJ and executive producer.

Hall, who was friends with tWitch, made claims about the late performer’s death while promoting his new MTV reality series. In an interview on Jan. 25 with Page Six about The Real Friends of WeHo, Hall alleged that DeGeneres’ toxic workplace scandal took a toll on tWitch’s mental health.

“People were looking at him like, ‘Why are you still supporting this woman?’ and I think he was under a lot of pressure,” Hall told Page Six.

“I don’t know what was going on in his life that may [have led] him to make that decision but I do understand,” he added. “Right now when I get online some days like right now, if I was in the wrong position of where this abuse would keep happening for years and years and years, there’s only so much a human being can take.”

In 2020, DeGeneres found herself in hot water after she was accused by former employees of having a workplace culture of “racism, fear and intimidation.” tWitch stood by DeGeneres amidst the building wave of criticism, even garnering some of his own along the way.

tWitch died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound last December, leaving behind his wife and his three children.

A white quarterback, who lost his scholarship because he mouthed the n-word in a video, has surprisingly landed a scholarship offer from an HBCU.

High school  quarterback, Marcus Stokes lost his scholarship  in November after he was seen in a video mimicking the words from a hip-hop song that included the n-word in the lyrics. The University of Florida had previously extended a scholarship to Stokes before the video landed on his Twitter account.

Now, according to a Twitter post by Stokes, he was offered another scholarship to play football, but at an HBCU.

On Tuesday, he told his followers that he received his “HBCU offer.” Albany State University was the school that offered the white quarterback a slot.

Beyoncé has tapped a new set of famous faces to model her latest Ivy Park collection, and rapper Offset and his son Kody Cephus made the list.

The Migos rapper took to Instagram on Friday to share shots from his father-son fashion shoot for the Ivy Park x Adidas “Park Trail” Collection.

“Sharing moments with my son,” Offset captioned the post. “Kody @official_kingkody_yrn and me for Ivy Park
Thank you @beyonce.”

He made sure to share the release date for Bey’s latest fashion line.

“@adidasOriginals @weareivypark DISCOVER YOUR PARK Collection available starting February 9thm #PARKTRAIL #adidasxIVYPARK,” he wrote.

 

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The new collection offers a variety of unisex apparel pieces that include sequined jackets, faux fur coats, canvas tracksuits, performance tights, hoodies, sweaters, and sweatshirts in an array of eccentric patterns from forest green, lime green, and cream white to indigo orange, purple, and camouflage, as noted by Uproxx.

Ivy Park described the collection as a “trail-blazing expression of performance wear inspired by the resilience of the outdoors, the spirit of the streets, and the possibilities of the future.”

In addition to the fashion pieces, Ivy Park x Adidas also released a new sneaker that pays homage to the sneaker the late Kobe Bryant sported throughout the late 90s and early 2000s. The Ivy Park x Adidas Top Ten 2000 retails for $200.

 

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Along with Offset and Kody, Ivy Park tapped Ice Spice and Devon Aoki to help promote the new pieces.

PARK TRAIL

IVY PARK x adidas
FEB 9th to FEB 10th pic.twitter.com/lM7bd9NWIs

— I Choose Violence (@ourhermitage) January 20, 2023

https://twitter.com/BadBunnyBardi/status/1616474005652791299?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1616474005652791299%7Ctwgr%5E07fe1d7fe5a9de0f437317cf34ebe0aad108ac5d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fuproxx.com%2Fmusic%2Fbeyonce-ivy-park-ad-offset-ice-spice%2F

Unfortunately for Beyonce fans, the superstar singer did not make an appearance in the latest Ivy Park promotional campaign. She recently performed in Dubai at a lavish resort that paid her $24 million for the live stage show, Fortune reported.

Offset’s addition to the latest Ivy Park campaign serves as his return to the spotlight in the wake of the tragic passing of Migos member Takeoff last November.

Drake’s Los Angeles home was reportedly burglarized late on Thursday. The suspect, a man who was seen leaving the house, has been arrested after allegedly stealing artwork, Los Angeles Times reported. 

Police were alerted to the incident by the Canadian’s rapper security. By the time the cops arrived at the scene, the suspect had already fled. Police conducted a search around the neighborhood. Hours later, a man matching the description of the suspect was seen walking down a street, sources told Los Angeles Times.

It’s not known what art objects were taken from the rapper’s home, but the multi-Grammy-Award winner’s  collection includes works by Andy Warhol, KAWS, Damien Hirst and Takashi Murakami.

The 36-year-old hitmaker, whose full name is Aubrey Drake Graham, was not at home at the time of the incident. Unfortunately, this was not the first burglary at a home owned by the “God’s Plan” singer.

In March 2021, police in Canada arrested an unidentified woman after she reportedly tried to break into Drake’s 35,000-square-foot home in Toronto.

In April 2017, Drake’s former home in Hidden Hills, Calif. was also allegedly targeted by a burglar, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office.

A 24-year-old woman from Columbia, S.C., was arrested for felony residential burglary, but her case was later dismissed. The woman allegedly “consumed a Sprite, a Fiji water and a Pepsi” while in the house, police told Entertainment Tonight.

In other news, the 6 God recently performed at Harlem’s famed, Apollo Theater. During the show, which spanned over two days, Drake brought out Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, and all four members of Harlem collective The Diplomats – Cam’ron, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana and Freekey Zekey.

“My dream for doing the Apollo would be to share the stage with these legendary, legendary guys,” Drake said. “First of all, we wouldn’t be here, but we wouldn’t have talked the same, dressed the same, walked the same. You guys influenced me and my brothers so much.”

Back in Nov. 2022, Drake and 21 Savage released their collaborative album, Her Loss. The 16-song album  features production from Noah “40” Shebib, Lil Yachty, Tay Keith, Boi-1da, Metro Boomin and others, along with a lone guest feature from Travis Scott.

Students at Bethune-Cookman University are fed up with the living conditions on campus and called on their president to do something about it.

Fox 35 reported that several students complained about mold, rats in the dorms, and minimal hot water. However, in an interview with Roland Martin on Roland Martin: Unfiltered, the school’s interim president, Dr. Lawrence Drake, said the students are making it bigger than it actually is.

Instead of mold, Drake is insisting that it’s mildew.

“What I say to them is what I’ve been saying to them as I walk the campus every day when I’m on campus. What I say to them is that we’re working on the issues,” Drake said, according to the video interview.

“I just invested a quarter of a million dollars in one of our buildings for remediation of mildew.”

These matters added to the growing protests on the Daytona Beach, Florida, campus after the school made headlines for firing NFL Hall of Famer Ed Reed before his head football coach contract was signed.

Reed posted a video on Instagram calling out campus conditions he witnessed while visiting and touring BCU.

After causing an uproar on social media, Reed apologized but was fired the very next day.

Ed Reed complaining about the trash at Bethune Cookman 😳

“I’m waking out here with the football team picking up trash. I should leave, I’m not even under contract yet !”

“Theses MFs didn’t even clean my office when I got here !” pic.twitter.com/oiKF8YrHqL

— Unfiltered Media TV™️ (@UnfilteredInd) January 15, 2023

While current students posted videos and pictures of the protests, Drake stands by what he said.

Releasing a statement to Fox 35, the president said he hired several companies like CTG Construction, Sodexo, and other environmental and architectural engineering firms to assess campus buildings.

However, students will be waiting a while.

“To ensure we are thorough, this phase will likely not be complete until late summer or just before the FY23-24 school year,” Drake wrote. “We will continue to move to be the best version of ourselves and truly appreciate the patience of our students and all concerned as we work to improve our community.”

The website says undergraduate tuition is currently over $31,000.

Beyoncé may have had “resentment” toward her father, but daddy will defend his superstar daughter.

Mathew Knowles spoke with TMZ regarding the backlash Queen Bey received from her extravagant performance in Dubai. Knowles-Carter was criticized for performing in the Middle Eastern country with strict anti-LGBTQ laws.

Knowles says people should look at it differently. “Queen Bey united a really diverse crowd with her incredible performance overseas, bringing people closer, as she does best,” Knowles said.

Knowles, known for managing the former girl group Destiny’s Child, called Beyoncé’s show an “amazing moment.” “People who weren’t at the show might not understand—she gave respect and got respect back from the country.” The proud father also noted that Beyoncé remains inclusive and knows everyone was at the performance with love. “She’d never do something to deliberately hurt someone,” Knowles said.

Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson, also chimed in about the performance. TMZ reports Knowles-Lawson said her daughter was “pretty nervous” since this was her first show in five years. Knowles-Lawson says it was a great show and trip despite her nervousness.

Black Enterprise reported earlier this week that LGBTQ supporters of the superstar expressed disappointment in her decision to perform in Dubai. Her first live performance in five years was the main event for the grand opening of Dubai’s newest luxury hotel, Atlantis.

Sources say Beyoncé was reportedly paid $24 million for the show. Several supporters look at the 41-year-old as an “ally,” given her latest album, Renaissance, was dedicated to her late Uncle Johnny, who she said introduced her to the Black queer and ballroom community.

Speaking of her music, Knowles gave her fans something to look forward to—a world tour. While he didn’t provide much information, the Shade Room reports Queen Bey will announce it “when she’s ready.”

• Black Lives Matter

by Sharelle B. McNair

January 27, 2023

Tyre Nichols’ Mothers Says Cops ‘Beat Him To A Pulp’

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The country is in uproar anticipating the release of the video footage in the Tyre Nichols case. But no one is feeling the pain more than Nichols’ mother and stepfather, RowVaughn and Ron Wells.

In an exclusive interview with CNN’s Don Lemon, Mrs.Wells recalled the moment she saw her son in the hospital.

“They had beat him to a pulp,” Wells said.

“When my husband and I got to the hospital and I saw my son, he was already gone.”

Wells said she received a call around 4 a.m. from doctors advising her and her husband to come to the hospital. The doctors told her that Nichols went into cardiac arrest and was suffering from kidney failure. Police came to her door, alerting her that her son was tased or pepper sprayed, CNN reported.

Wells was reportedly told by doctors his injuries didn’t “sound consistent” with those claims.

Nichols was pulled over by five Black officers in Memphis on January 7 for suspicion of reckless driving. After a reported “confrontation” occurred, Nichols died three days later.

According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Nichols died due to injuries caused by “use-of-force incident with officers.”

RowVaughn Wells hopes her son’s case will prompt the police force to remove what she calls “bad officers.”

She referred to the tendency of the Black community to only see “bad officers” as white. “People try to say Black people, we only try to go after White officers. That’s not true,” Wells said. “We know there’s a lot of great officers, I know…But there are bad officers, too. And those are the ones that we need to get rid of.”

She feels for the family of the accused officers, whom she told Don Lemon have brought shame to them as well as the Black community.

All five officers involved, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin, and Desmond Mills Jr., were fired from the Memphis Police Department and have been charged with second-degree murder. 

RowVaughn Wells described Nichols to CNN as a “beautiful soul” who “touched a lot of people.” She recalled him saying, ‘hello, parents’ when he would visit.

“I don’t have my baby. I’ll never have my baby again,” Wells said.

There’s a new landing ground for this late pioneer, and its part of Mattel’s Inspiring Women doll series.

Bessie Coleman, the first Black, Native American female aviator and first Black person to earn an international pilot’s license, has been honored by the Barbie toymaker with a doll in celebration of her January 26 birthday and ahead of Black History Month.

“The Inspiring Women series pays tribute to courageous women who paved the way for generations of girls to dream bigger than ever before,” Mattel Creations wrote of the doll’s description.

“Despite facing racial and gender discrimination, Bessie Coleman became the first Black and Native American female aviator. She also became the first Black person to earn an international pilot’s license. Sculpted to her likeness and wearing a traditional olive-green aviator suit, including a “BC”-initialed cap, this collectible Barbie doll honors a high-flying icon,” the description continued.

 

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According to CNN, Barbie partnered up with Bessie Coleman Aviation All-Stars, the nonprofit founded by Coleman’s great niece, Gigi Coleman.

“Keeping Bessie’s legacy alive has always been a labor of love for my family, and we are proud to recognize her determination and accomplishments for Black women in aviation and continue to share my great aunt’s pioneering spirit with fans of all ages,” Coleman’s great-niece said in a statement.

As previously reported by BLACK ENTERPRISE, Coleman was honored in 2022 by the first all-Black crew of American Airlines, in celebration of Coleman’s 100th anniversary of earning her pilot’s license.

Coleman earned her international pilot’s license in France before becoming a fully-fledged aviator dedicated to empowering Black women to learn how to fly.

The Bessie Coleman doll was designed by artist and designer Carlyle Nuera, with the face sculpting credited to Desiree/Adria.

The doll is available for purchase on the Mattel website, priced at $35.

• Arts and Culture

by Stacy Jackson

January 27, 2023

Black Author’s ‘Support BLACK Periodt’ Greenbook Shows Ways to Support the Black Community

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There are no excuses when you have a guide.

Non-profit executive director Princess “Franny” Francois, is explaining how to use existing resources through her book Support BLACK Periodt: A Greenbook to Eliminate Your Ifs, Ands, or Buts, a comprehensive listing of Black U.S. businesses.

Francois wanted to provide resources for Black travelers, providing an abundance of resources that include personal narratives, history, and research, making them easy to navigate as she elevates Black businesses.

“Sometimes, I have found that it takes hours to sift through thousands of comments from Black travel groups to find the one piece of information you need,” Francois told Travel Noire.

“I wanted to save people time but organizing this book in a way that makes it easy to access this information. This information comes from years of experience: years of traveling, years of searching, years of asking, and years of curating information,” she added.

“Over the last year, I have been able to inspire thousands of my followers to think more about how to support the Black community. I noticed that my most popular posts were around supporting Black-owned businesses or learning untold Black narratives.

“This published book is the ultimate amplification, featuring thousands of Black businesses, landmarks, tours, locations, and creators you should support,” Francois told the outlet.

The author published her book in an attempt to change the statistics for Blacks who she believes are underrepresented in travel, museums, and national parks and deserve the support.

Francois’ book is comprised of 16 different industries where she feels Black business owners are underrepresented, including restaurants, coffee shops, and bookstores.

The book, built around a five-step framework, is organized through an acronym that represents ways people can support Black businesses: Buy Black, Learn Black, Amplify Black, Celebrate Black, Knowingly (which spells out BLACK).

 

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