Kyrie Water Bottle & Ozuna Felonies, A-Rod Injunction, $100M MLB Lawsuit

Conduct Detrimental: THE Sports Law Podcast

The ROADMAP:

2:36 - Alex Rodriguez’s NBA Acquisition in Jeopardy. Just as A-Rod thought he was buying into a majority position in the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves, an owner with a 17% position in the team has filed a lawsuit to block the sale with an injunction. He’s suing for breach of contract and breach of implied duty of good faith and fair dealing. He’s seeking to amend the terms of the deal with A-Rod to ensure that the team stays in Minnesota and cannot be relocated to Seattle, Louisville, Vegas, etc. We discuss the history of basketball in Minnesota -- just ask George Mikan!

14:50 - The Water Bottle Felony. A 21-year old Boston Celtics fan has been arrested and hit with felony charges for throwing a water bottle at the Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving. It caps a week of bizarre fan incidents across NBA arenas (Trae Young spit on, Russell Westbrook showered with popcorn) — and during the playoffs no less. Fans have finally returned to the stands and it is abundantly clear that they’ve forgotten how to conduct themselves. Now the Suffolk County District Attorney is sending an emphatic message that this will NOT be tolerated by slapping the fan with Assault & Battery with a Dangerous Weapon, a felony carrying a 10-year prison sentence! We breakdown the video footage of the Kyrie incident and debate if the punishment truly fits the crime.

26:32 - Police Witness Marcell Ozuna Domestic Incident. The Atlanta Braves signed Ozuna to a 4-year $65M extension this offseason and just months later he’s on the verge of possibly being released. Ozuna is wrapped up in very disturbing allegations having been charged with aggravated assault by strangulation and battery, both under domestic violence laws. The police responded to the incident and claim to have witnessed a portion of the altercation. This makes it an exponentially easier case for the prosecution and, likewise, exponentially easier to get an MLB suspension. We discuss the fallout and role of the MLB Players’ Association.

36:03 - $100M MLB All Star Game Lawsuit. A collection of businesses in Atlanta have filed a massive lawsuit against Major League Baseball stemming from the league’s decision to move the game from Atlanta and into Denver. Baseball was transparent as to why they moved the game - their disapproval of the voting laws in the State of Georgia. These businesses claim that All-Star sites have typically earned $40M-$150M in revenue so they are suing for lost profits and asking for the game to come back. It’s a lawsuit based in promissory estoppel and detrimental reliance. We break it down.

43:31 - WHAT TO WATCH FOR — Indy 500, College Baseball, Nebraska Home Opener, and Dan’s 2nd kid is due soon!

***

Have a question or something you want us to cover next episode? Drop us a DM on Instagram or Twitter:

Dan Wallach (@WallachLegal)

Dan Lust (@SportsLawLust)

Tarun Sharma (@TKSharmaLaw)

The Show (@ConDetrimental)