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Former University of Southern California star running back Reggie Bush, who forfeited his 2005 Heisman Trophy, after an NCAA investigation found he received impermissible benefits while at school, says he wants his trophy and records to be reinstated. The NCAA granted students the right to profit off their names, images and likenesses, this week. The decision comes after decades of legal, political, and public pressure.

“We left multiple messages for Michael Comerford, the President of the Heisman Trust, but instead received a call from Rob Whalen, the Executive Director, who stated that Mr. Comerford would not be calling us back and that, in any event, they could not help us,” Bush said in a statement, explaining his attempts to see how his records will be affected.

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Bush concluded that his success came “solely” off the success of his hard work and performance: “It is my strong belief that I won the Heisman Trophy ‘solely’ due to my hard work and dedication on the football field and it is also my firm belief that my records should be reinstated,” he said.

In addition to Bush’s records being vacated, the NCAA put the USC football program on four-year probation.

Check out Bush’s statement below.

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Media outlets were trying to snag the president into making some sort of statement regarding Bill Cosby’s release, but the White House’s press secretary Jen Psaki wasn’t having it. On Thursday (July 1), the White House held a briefing where Psaki, as usual, took questions from reporters. This week, Bill Cosby was released from prison after his sexual assault conviction was overturned on a technicality. People have debated Cosby’s guilt or innocence throughout several social media platformers, and reporters wanted to know what President Biden thinks of the ruling.

“The president has long been an advocate for fighting against violence against women, for ensuring that we are raising the voices and the stories of people who have been survivors of sexual assault,” said Psaki.

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“That’s something he has done throughout his career and will continue to do,” she continued, adding that Biden was instrumental in writing the Violence Against Women Act in 1994. “But I don’t have a specific comment on that announcement today.” However, she did suggest that the president may make a statement regarding Cosby’s case at a later time.

That answer wasn’t good enough for some, so Psaki was once again questioned about Biden’s opinion, especially considering Cosby was freed not because he was declared innocent but because prosecutors didn’t honor an agreement to not pursue charges. A reporter wanted to know “what message” that sends to “women in the ‘MeToo’ era” who decide to come forward with their stories.

Psaki stated that Biden has “advocated for elevating the voices and stories of women who are survivors of sexual assault, sexual abuse, and certainly knows that’s a difficult journey for many of them.”  Adding, “He believes that these women are courageous, they’re brave, and he wants it to be an environment, wants us to live in a country where they, where women, will feel comfortable moving forward and telling their story.”

Following his release, Cosby shared a statement where he maintained his innocence and thanked his supporters for standing by him through his trial and incarceration.

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Jay-Z and Beyoncé were caught going for a stroll on a beach in the Hamptons with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Thursday, sporting light casual wear following the heatwave in New York. 

The 51-year-old rapper rocked a simple white t-shirt, Puma track pants, and sneakers, while Beyoncé went with a black tee and shorts. Dorsey was spotted in a white t-shirt and shorts.

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Dorsey is currently in the process of purchasing a majority stake in Jay-Z’s music streaming platform, TIDAL, for $300 million. Hov first bought the service in 2015 for just $56 million.

“TIDAL started with the idea of honoring artists by being artist-owned and led, focused on an uncompromised experience of the art. It’s refreshing and right,” Dorsey said in a tweet, regarding the deal. “The vision only grows stronger as it’s matched with more powerful tools for artists, inclusive of new ways of getting paid.”

Jay-Z recently spoke with Dorsey for a 30-minute conference on Twitter Spaces, during which he spoke about the importance of TIDAL maintaining “a human element,” despite its use of a complex algorithm. 

“You can’t duplicate the heart and spirit and people that’s in the office working really hard and care what’s going on and know what’s going on in the culture minute by minute,” he explained. “It’s super important to us to interact and have that relationship back and forth.”

Check out the trio’s beach pics below.

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In December 2020, Miya Ponsetto falsely accused the 14-year-old son of jazz musician Keyon Harrold Jr. of stealing her iPhone, physically attacking the teen in the middle of a hotel lobby.

The 22-year-old was arrested on charges of attempted robbery and assault in January just hours after her controversial interview with Gayle King but was released under the terms of supervised release shortly after. 

“Soho Karen” claimed her actions were not racially motivated, telling Gayle, “I wasn’t racial profiling whatsoever. I’m Puerto Rican, I’m, like, a woman of color. I’m Italian, Greek, Puerto Rican.” The video footage shows otherwise as Ponsetto singled out the Black teen in a crowded hotel lobby.

Ponsetto faces a lengthy list of other charges for damaging an empty apartment the same day of the phone incident, DUI charges from her past, and public intoxication charges from February of this year.

The young woman now can add federal hate crime charges to her long list of consequences for her actions. Ponsetto pleaded not guilty to the charges in court remotely on Wednesday.

According to the New York Post, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Sarah Marquez acknowledged that bail is not an option but requested that the judge continue the “highest level of supervised release” for Ponsetto.

The Harrold family filed a lawsuit against Ponsetto back in May, but that case is still pending.

“Soho Karen’s” court hearing is set for October 20, which is expected to be an in-person hearing. We will keep you updated with the latest developments on the charges.

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All of the internet drama is about to be played out on the small screen now that Love & Hip Hop Atlanta is making a return to VH1. The show found itself on the outs for 2020, like several other series, but VH1 has shaped up another season to entertain fans. We’ve recently reported on Safaree Samuels and Erica Mena’s short-lived marriage coming to a close, and it seems viewers will receive a firsthand look at what went down behind the scenes.

Love & Hip Hop New York‘s Yandy Smith is making a move down to the ATL with her husband Mendeecees, and while they recently went viral over his remarks during a counseling session, they look to be renewing their wedding vows. There are also a few new cast members added to shake things up including Omeretta the Great, Yung Baby Tate, and Renni Rucci.

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Omeretta deals with issues with her mother while Yung Baby Tate and Guapdad 4000 put their romance on display. Renni Rucci attempts to balance motherhood, a career, and a relationship with Foogiano while he remains behind bars. Kirk and Rasheeda Frost make a return as the rapper tries to build a relationship with her sister who, she claims, comes around to ask for money. Scrappy and Bambi seem to have a happy family, but as Scrappy dabbles in the Rap game once again, the couple can’t stop fighting and considers divorce.

Aside from the regularly-scheduled reality television drama, the cast also spends time addressing issues pertaining to mental health, particularly for men, and they join together to discuss topics of social justice and racism. Check out the extende trailer below.

Atlanta point guard Trae Young has reportedly been ruled out of the Hawks’ Game 5 matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks, Thursday night, in the Eastern Conference Finals. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that sources have informed him of the team’s decision.

Woj reports that “Young will continue to rehab with hopes of playing in the Eastern Conference Finals Game 6 on Saturday in Atlanta.”

Young suffered a bone bruise in his right foot during the Hawks’ 110-88 Game 3 loss after accidentally stepping on a referee’s foot.

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He has played a vital role in the team’s postseason success, averaging 29.8 points and 9.5 assists in his first career playoff appearance.

Veteran Lou Williams replaced Young in the starting lineup for Game 4, scoring 21 points and dropping 8 assists. Hawks center Clint Capela, who was listed as questionable with right eye inflammation, will reportedly start in Game 5. He’s averaging 10.1 points and 11.5 rebounds in the playoffs.

Additionally, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has been ruled out as well, nursing a hyperextended left knee suffered during Game 4. The team says an MRI showed no structural damage or ligament damage.

Game 5 is set to tip-off at 8:30 PM, ET on Thursday. The series is tied 2-2.

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Unlike other celebrity couples who divorce after decades together, Don Cheadle switched things up and married his longtime girlfriend. The accomplished actor has been able to maintain a private personal life as an A-list actor, a feat that not many can do, and it was reported on Wednesday (June 30) that Cheadle and Bridgid Coulter jumped the broom during the pandemic.

Cheadle made the revelation while visiting The Ellen Show while it was being hosted by Wanda Sykes. The comedian was privy to the news considering Cheadle texted her to let her know that he was now a married man after dating Coulter for 28 years.

Alberto E. Rodriguez / Staff / Getty Images

“You texted me at the top of the year, I guess, and you told me that you just got married,” said Sykes. “And I was like, ‘Oh damn, the pandemic got to Don and Bridgid.'” She then joked, “I was like, ‘What the hell happened, man?’ I think I just text something back, like, ‘Hey, if you’re happy, I’m happy for you.’ I was like, ‘Cheadle went Hollywood.'”

“Yeah, I mean, that’s understandable given that we’ve been together 28 years before we got married,” Cheadle replied. “I hold you blameless.” Cheadle and Coulter first began dating in the early 1990s and the couple shares two daughters. Congrats to Cheadle and his family! Check out his appearance on The Ellen Show below.

Ice Cube says that he rejected an offer to play Lucky in John Singleton’s Poetic Justice, a character famously portrayed by 2Pac, because Lucky was a “sucker.” The NWA member spoke with Big Boy for a new interview, in which he discussed turning down the role.

Cube acknowledged that the role was “going to get me paid, too.”

As for the issue he took with the character, he explained that he “only had one problem with it and he didn’t want to change it, so I didn’t want to do it. The problem was I didn’t think — me playing 2Pac — that I would kick my homeboy out the car for a girl I just met when we got to Oakland. I didn’t think that was cool…It made the character kind of a sucker to me.”

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Cube also said that he shot down the role of “O-Dog” in Menace II Society, because he didn’t want to be typecast after playing “Doughboy” in Boyz n the Hood.

Pac’s role as Lucky went on to become one of the most famous from his acting career. He also starred as Bishop in Juice and numerous other projects.

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Ice Cube says that he rejected an offer to play Lucky in John Singleton’s Poetic Justice, a character famously portrayed by 2Pac, because Lucky was a “sucker.” The NWA member spoke with Big Boy for a new interview, in which he discussed turning down the role.

Cube acknowledged that the role was “going to get me paid, too.”

As for the issue he took with the character, he explained that he “only had one problem with it and he didn’t want to change it, so I didn’t want to do it. The problem was I didn’t think — me playing 2Pac — that I would kick my homeboy out the car for a girl I just met when we got to Oakland. I didn’t think that was cool…It made the character kind of a sucker to me.”

David Becker / Getty Images

Cube also said that he shot down the role of “O-Dog” in Menace II Society, because he didn’t want to be typecast after playing “Doughboy” in Boyz n the Hood.

Pac’s role as Lucky went on to become one of the most famous from his acting career. He also starred as Bishop in Juice and numerous other projects.

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The NFL has fined the Washington Football Team $10 million following an investigation into sexual misconduct within the organization, the league announced Thursday. The team has been under independent investigation since July 2020.

“I feel great remorse for the people who had difficult, even traumatic experiences while working here. I’m truly sorry for that,” Football Team owner Dan Snyder said in a statement after the ruling was announced. “I can’t turn back the clock, but I promise that nobody who works here will ever have that kind of experience again, at least not as long as Tanya and I are owners of this team.”

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The 15 years prior to 2020, the team had faced numerous sexual harassment allegations. Lead attorney Beth Wilkinson interviewed over 150 people in the investigation.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reacted in a statement, saying that the organization should become a first-tier workplace with the changes they will implement going forward: “Over the past 18 months, Dan and Tanya have recognized the need for change and have undertaken important steps to make the workplace comfortable and dignified for all employees, and those changes, if sustained and built upon, should allow the club to achieve its goal of having a truly first-tier workplace.”

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