NASCAR certainly isn't a sport that gets written about a lot on here but sometimes, something happens in the sport that either makes your jaw drop with excitement or shake your head in disappointment. Last night, the latter happened.
One of the rising stars in the sport, Kyle Larson, was on an iRacing Livestream that was being broadcasted on Twitch. Larson didn't know he was being recorded at the time and dropped the N-word, which as everyone should know by now, is a big no-no. The clip of Larson saying the slur immediately went viral and once NASCAR found out about it, they suspended him indefinitely. In fact, Larson's team, Chip Ganassi Racing, suspended Larson without pay and now, the driver is at risk of losing his sponsors.
"Last night I made a mistake and said the word that should never, ever be said, and there's no excuse for that. I wasn't raised that way. It's just an awful thing to say, and I feel very sorry for my family, my friends, my partners, the NASCAR community and, especially, the African-American community," Larson said in his apology. "I understand the damage is probably unrepairable, and I own up to that. But I just wanted to let you all know how sorry I am."
It remains to be seen what will happen to Larson's career but for now, things aren't looking too good for him. If his sponsors decide to leave him, he could be gone from NASCAR permanently.
Celtics HC Brad Stevens Provides Update On Marcus Smart & COVID-19
Brad Stevens provides an update on Marcus Smart, who tested positive for the Coronavirus, earlier this month.
Celtics head coach Brad Stevens provided the press with an update on guard Marcus Smart, Friday. Smart tested positive for the Coronavirus earlier this month.
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“Great. He’s great. Great spirits. Joking as always,” Stevens told ESPN, Friday morning on a conference call. “We had a Zoom with the team, told the team we were going to give them their own space to hang out and have fun — and he told us to get off. So he’s great.”
The Celtics were warming up to take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, March 11, when the NBA announced it would be suspending the season. The Celtics had played against the Jazz, which had multiple players test positive for the virus, a week prior. Smart later tested positive for COVID-19.
“I’m just happy that when he tested positive he continued to experience no symptoms and has felt great ever since.
“We landed from Milwaukee 15 days ago now, and he’s been feeling good. I’ve checked in with him as everybody else has, very regularly. I’ve seen him on conference calls a few times, and he seems to be doing really well,” Stevens added.
There is still no timeline as to when the NBA season will return.
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2 Chainz Reacts To NBA Suspending Season Over Coronavirus
After Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 and the NBA subsequently suspending the remainder of the season, 2 Chainz is staying in tune with the current Coronavirus pandemic.
The NBA made some unfortunate news last night when they announced the season is suspended. Though the chatter surrounding banning spectators was running rampant, the league decided to cancel the rest of the season altogether after Rudy Gobert tested positive for Coronavirus. That being said, 2 Chainz, a man who could’ve played in the league if he had not picked up a microphone, is staying on full alert about the pandemic.
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Taking to Instagram, 2 Chainz reacted to both the news of the NBA being canceled and Rudy Robert’s Coronavirus test results. The rapper was clearly alert to the matter but he’s taking seriously now; announcing that he’ll be canceling shopping sprees anytime soon. “This is really happening !! I think after I leave this chrome hearts store and spend this 20 ! It will be the last thing I buy until further notice,” he said.
But what made 2 Chainz really take this matter seriously is the announcement that even the G-League would be canceled. “This virus Definitely has my attention and is also affecting so many people in so many different ways,” he added along with a screenshot of the G-League’s official announcement.
The Coronavirus pandemic is expected to impact roughly one-third of the American population. During a private meeting with staffers, a Congressional doctor reportedly said that 70M to 150M Americans will contract COVID-19. However, there is a high recovery rate of 80%.
FaZe Clan Suspends Fortnite Player "Dubs" For Use Of Racial Slur
Daniel “Dubs” Walsh of FaZe Clan has been suspended for using a racial slur during a recent live stream.
Fortnite esports player Daniel “Dubs” Walsh has been indefinitely suspended from FaZe Clan following the use of a racial slur during a live stream. The esports organization released a statement announcing the decision to suspend him, according to ESPN.
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“FaZe Clan will not tolerate any form of hate speech,” the statement says. “It is imperative for us to foster an inclusive environment in this community. Due to his actions, we are suspending Dubs indefinitely from representing FaZe Clan while in professional competition, streaming, or posting on his social channels.
“We are requiring Dubs to go through sensitivity training and proactively requiring all FaZe Clan members to go through sensitivity training immediately.”
Dubs last apologized with a statement of his own on Twitter: “I can’t even describe how sorry I am. I did not intend to be hurtful in any way but what I said was still hurtful, insensitive, and wrong. The word shouldn’t have been in my vocabulary and I apologize from the bottom my heart to everyone I offended by using it. You deserve better.”
After being signed by FaZe last year, Dubs qualified for the Fortnite World Cup in both the solo and duos divisions.
Dwyane Wade & Gabrielle Union Invite Teen Suspended For Dreadlocks To Oscars
The team behind "Hair Love" are showing this teen's hair some love.
The team behind the Oscar-nominated animated short, Hair Love, are walking in the spirit of the film by inviting a Texas teen who was suspended for his dreadlocks to the prestigious award show next Sunday. DeAndre Arnold, a high school student who was suspended and told he wouldn't be permitted to attend his graduation ceremony in the spring unless he cut off his dreadlocks, got the invite from Hair Love's director, Matthew A. Cherry, along with producers Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union. "We love the way that you carry yourself and we wanted to do something special for you," Dwyane told the teen, who received a wave of support from the public following the injustice he faced. "You and your mother Sandy are the official guests of the Oscar-nominated team behind Hair Love at the 2020 Academy Awards."
"We've all been so inspired by your story and this is the very least we can do to thank you for standing up for yourself and for your right to wear your natural hair at school," Matthew told him. The Oscar-nominated director told "CBS This Morning" that "just hearing [DeAndre's] story, it really just represented everything we were trying to do with the short film, Hair Love. We really wanted to just normalize black hair, normalize us." Matthew is also using DeAndre's story to shed light on the CROWN Act, which bans the discrimination of people based on their hair. He believes that the act, which has passed in California, New York and New Jersey, should be nationwide. "If this law was in Texas, this situation with DeAndre wouldn't happen," he said.
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As for DeAndre, finding out that he was invited to the Oscars was a "surreal moment." "It's hard to take in," he said. "I've got excitement and then it's just like, 'Is this really happening? Am I in a dream?'...it blows my mind that people that have so much voice, they're on my side and they're with me. I love that. I appreciate that. I really do." The teen was especially thrilled for his mom, who has been fighting by his side to get his story out. "My mom deserves any special treatment she gets," he said. "She deserves this. She's been working so hard, on the computer day and night, just to try and help me get my word out. When you have people like this in your corner, there's no way you can lose. No way." Matthew revealed that both DeAndre and Sandy will be "provide[d] full wardrobe and glam for the big night." The Oscars take place Sunday, February 9th.