Alex Rodriguez has been accused of cheating his former brother-in-law out of money, and the allegations are all detailed in a lawsuit that was recently filed against the former MLB slugger.
Constantine Scurtis, the brother of A-Rod’s ex-wife Cynthia Scurtis, has accused Rodriguez of “racketeering and embezzlement” in connection with a real estate deal. According to a court amendment filed on Monday in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, Scurtis cites text messages and letters that he claims prove A-Rod pushed him out of a real estate deal.
“Mr. Rodriguez will face a jury on August 2, 2021, to answer claims that he and his co-conspirators engaged in a pattern of racketeering and embezzlement,” Scurtis’ attorney Katherine Eskovitz said, via Joe Tacopino of the New York Post.
The new filing goes on to say that Rodriguez “first cheated on his wife and then cheated Mr. Scurtis out of the proceeds from their wildly profitable real-estate venture.”
Scurtis first filed a $50 million lawsuit against Rodriguez in July, and A-Rod responded with a countersuit denying the allegations.
Rodriguez has also had legal battles with his ex-wife in the past, so this is nothing new.
A-Rod is currently engaged to music icon Jennifer Lopez. The two recently tried to purchase the New York Mets but were unsuccessful, which is something the team’s new owner is happy to rub their noses in.
Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas did not enjoy LeBron James’ disrespectful act during Tuesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
James’ Lakers were up big early against the Rockets and won 117-100. They were up by around 20 in the second quarter when James attempted a 3-pointer from the corner. Before the shot got to the basket, James turned his back on the ball to face his teammates. He was prematurely celebrating because he believed the ball was going in.
Silas found that to be disrespectful and said it “doesn’t feel good at all.”
There are some players with the Rockets who would want to send a message after something like that. But the hard part is their star player isn’t invested and wants out.
An NBA TV host took a shot at James Harden prior to Tuesday’s Houston Rockets-Los Angeles Lakers game.
NBA TV showed a clip of Harden in layup lines before the game. The announcer made a joke at Harden’s expense, saying “James Harden, definitely had a pregame meal.”
That is most definitely a fat joke about Harden.
The former NBA MVP reported to the Rockets late to start the season and has long looked out of shape (check out this photo). Even a famous actor had a joke at Harden’s expense.
As if Harden’s playing shape didn’t already make it clear that the guard wants out of Houston, the guard’s comments after the team’s loss to the Lakers sure did.
Kyrie Irving has been away from the Brooklyn Nets since last week due to “personal reasons,” but now we have a better idea of what is going on.
The point guard has not played since the team’s win over Utah on Jan. 5. Some with the team were unsure of why he was away.
Now we know that he was at a party this week (video here). And on Tuesday night, Irving appeared on a politician’s Zoom call rather than join his Nets in their game against the Denver Nuggets.
This is bad news for Irving and the Nets.
If Irving cares more about politics than fulfilling his contractual obligations to the Nets, he should be up front and tell them that. It’s only fair to the team and league that pays him so well to show them that kind of courtesy. Ditching out on work is unprofessional and shows a lack of commitment.
Irving is likely facing a lengthy absence from returning to the team. Not only does he mentally have to want to play, but he then would face quarantine determinations from the league.
James Harden shared an ominous comment about his future with the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night.
The Rockets lost 117-100 at home to the Los Angeles Lakers to fall to 3-6 on the season. Harden has not seemed to have motivation and dedication to the team all season.
After the loss, Harden said he didn’t think the situation in Houston could be fixed.
Here’s how it sounded:
Harden arrived in Houston in 2012-2013 and led the team to the playoffs eight straight years. He became an MVP and scoring champ during that period, though he has had postseason struggles.
The Rockets got rid of Mike D’Antoni and Daryl Morey over the offseason, and Harden took his sweet time reporting to the team. It’s been clear for over a month that he doesn’t want to be there. The team has been stubborn about the situation, but he is making it clear where he stands.
Here are the teams Harden reportedly is open to being traded.
One of Kyrie Irving’s fellow guards thinks that the Brooklyn Nets star is being treated a bit unfairly.
Irving stirred up more controversy this week after a viral video appeared to show him at an indoor party with several guests and no masks. Both the Nets and the NBA are now investigating the video. The six-time All-Star recently left the team for “personal reasons” and has not played since Jan. 5.
Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray responded to the firestorm by pointing to Irving’s history of charitable donations and community work. “They just pick n choose what they wanna really talk bout,” Murray wrote.
Irving is indeed a divisive player who often garners criticism for his various antics. But just because he has certain positive aspects to his character does not mean that he can escape criticism for dumb behavior. Imagine the same scenario involving LeBron James, a player who is well-respected for his behavior both on and off the court. Had James been the one caught at such a gathering, he would be criticized just as strongly, and rightfully so.
In any case, Irving may always elicit strong reactions for what he does. But while he deserves to be commended for his philanthropic works, he should also be called out when he engages in unprofessional behavior.
Mac Jones isn’t much of a Twitter guy.
Prior to Tuesday, he had only tweeted twice in the past six months. One of the tweets was to say that he wanted to play this season at a time when officials were debating shutting things down.
His second tweet was to support the decision to move forward with the season.
Jones went silent after that. He and his teammates chose to focus on one thing: winning a national championship. Jones went to work, put up a season that saw him finish third in Heisman Trophy voting, and he and his teammates were rewarded with the title.
Here was the first tweet Jones sent in five months:
It’s awesome to see how things went for him and his teammates. They lobbied to play, stayed disciplined and worked hard, and they won it all. Jones also is arguing that this was the best team ever in college football. We know something else: it’s one of Nick Saban’s favorite teams.
Steve Sarkisian was introduced to Texas fans on Tuesday, a day after helping Alabama win the national championship.
Sark spoke with reporters and answered questions from the media. He said he hopes that Texas can restart its rivalry with Texas A&M, a rivalry that has not featured games recently. Texas’ AD does not seem to mind that.
But Sark also said that his players will sing “The Eyes of Texas” proudly.
The Eyes of Texas is a subject that became touchy last season. The elimination of the song was on a list of social justice demands sent by some athletes to the school. The university said it was sticking with the song and tradition it represents. Ensuring his players would support and respect the song was likely a condition for Sark being hired.
Sarkisian has had two previous stints as a head coach – first at Washington, and then at USC. He has spent the last two seasons as Alabama’s offensive coordinator.
Texas fans! Steve Sarkisian is the new head coach of the Longhorns and promising a high-octane offense. Show some support for the squad with this great All Gas No Brakes shirt. It makes a perfect gift for yourself or a friend. You can buy it here:
Talen Horton-Tucker has become a new cult hero for the Los Angeles Lakers. But they may have to be wary of vultures circling next offseason.
Sean Deveney of Heavy.com reported this week that multiple NBA teams are expected to pursue the 20-year-old guard in the summer. Deveney mentions the New York Knicks specifically as a team with potential interest. The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Dallas Mavericks are also listed.
Horton-Tucker was part of the Lakers’ championship team last season. He since broke out on the heels of an excellent 2020 preseason. Now Horton-Tucker is a fairly regular part of the team’s rotation. His contract is up after the season however. The Lakers cannot extend the former Iowa State star prior to that because he is on a two-year deal.
The Lakers do have an advantage though thanks to their “early Bird rights” on Horton-Tucker. The “Gilbert Arenas rule” will also allow the Lakers to offer more money than any other team. But those other teams can certainly make it more expensive for them to retain Horton-Tucker, especially those with excess cap room. In any event, the Lakers will have to figure out how Horton-Tucker fits into their long-term plans amid a changing rotation.
The Seattle Seahawks announced on Tuesday that they have fired offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
The team said they parted ways with Schottenheimer because of “philosophical differences.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter says the firing came after a meeting between Schottenheimer and Pete Carroll.
The Seahawks’ offense started off hot this season, scoring at least 31 points in seven of their first eight games. They went downhill thereafter, and then made a surprising and disappointing playoff exit with a loss to the Rams.
Tyler Lockett shared his belief regarding the reason for the offensive struggles in the second half. Schottenheimer’s offense wasn’t able to produce as much in that part of the season.
The Seahawks set a franchise record with 459 points this season.
