Mason's lawsuit comes four days after Kwatinetz (r) sued investors for defaulting on a deal with the leagueGETTY IMAGES
Former Big3 Commissioner Roger Mason Jr., who was fired last month, filed a complaint in Delaware saying that the league’s co-founders "used him as a scapegoat for their financial blunders," repeating claims that one of the Big3 execs "made 'horrible racist comments' about African-American players and Middle Eastern investors," according to Rick Maese of the WASHINGTON POST. In his filing, which "seeks to force the Big3 to share its records and financial statements, Mason also revealed that he had filed an arbitration claim for defamation and breach of contract," seeking more than $100M. The lawsuit comes four days after Big3 co-Founders Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz "sued a group of foreign investors for defaulting on its deal with the league." Ice Cube and Kwatinetz are seeking $1.2B in damages, and though Mason is "not a defendant in the suit, he is cited often in the complaint." Mason "was fired as commissioner March 12 because of his relationship with the investment group Sport Trinity." In yesterday's filing, he said that he "was forced out of his position by Kwatinetz," and "was the target of a 'scurrilous unjustified attack.'" The lawsuit also says Kwatinetz was "directly responsible for heavy turnover in the Big3 front office, which included the departures" of the CFO & Chief Creative Officer. Ice Cube in a statement said, "Roger Mason is obviously a desperate man who will say and do anything at this point. Since replacing him with Clyde Drexler, the league has soared" (WASHINGTON POST, 4/10).
BIG & BOLD: The Emir of Qatar today is set for a White House visit, and the Emir is one of the "Middle Eastern investors" involved with the Big3 lawsuit. In today's N.Y. Times, the Big3 takes out a full-page ad with the copy, "Hey President Trump, when you meet today with Putin's new friend, the Emir of Qatar, please tell him not to threaten the Big3 and American athletes!" The ad then has the Big3 schedule and a list of coaches and players, along with a signature from Ice Cube, Kwatinetz and Drexler (THE DAILY).
GREAT EXPECTATIONS: Ice Cube said of what he expects of the league’s second season, “It's going to be a better year than we had year one. We got star-studded players, and last year they didn't really know what to expect, so this year, we feel like they are going to come in ready to go. ... We just signed a great three-year deal with Adidas and we have a couple of other sponsors we're going to announce in the next few weeks. We are moving in the right direction. Clyde Drexler was definitely the right move at the right time and just by having him in place, we have seen the level of respect for the league elevate and that's what we want to do.” He said of the support the league gets from the NBA, “We thought it was going to be an issue with the NBA, but they have actually been extremely cool with us and Adam Silver is great. We text every now and then, so we feel like as we get into our own and as this league grows, the relationship between the Big3 and the NBA is going to be a great relationship" (“First Take,” ESPN, 4/10).
