Lurker and not a poster for 20ish years. I will never understand why "embiggen" isn't used more. Such a cromulent term.
Why do I suspect that the first DL they considered submitting had Zion living at 892 Momona St in Honolulu?
The lead story questions that Zion lived in Darlington, SC. I think this is actually true ... I had heard it before. Here from Wiki "Williamson later began working with his stepfather, former college basketball player Lee Anderson, to improve his skills as a point guard.[3] He joined the basketball team at Johnakin Middle School in Marion, South Carolina, where he was again coached by his mother and averaged 20 points per game"
Marion and Darlington are nearby
JD does a great job but might need to research this one fact .. I THINK it is true. THINK. or he lived nearby. Not really a big point in the case though
In SC licenses issued to kids under 21 have vertical pictures, not horizontal. There is also a clear indicator that the person is under 21. There's no way this is Zion's license. This legal team really is very shoddy.
Just to pile on:
1) No Real ID star
2) My last license was issued in 2016 and runs to 2026. The current valid period is eight years. I can not remember a six year period.
It seems this was used to defraud someone into thinking they where part of a deal with Zion. Is that guy out $400,000?
Just a couple points (to be clear, the ID is still obviously fake):
To the Real ID star: maybe it is different in SC, but in NC Real ID isn't required, you can (or at least could as if last fall) still get a regular state-issued ID that wasn't Real ID certified/compliant. I don't see this as a good indicator of inauthicity.
To the 2nd point, it may be valid but I think the expiration periods are (or can be in some states) different for young or new drivers than for regular adults.
I don't think we know how much Kreiss is out. ESPN has the best summary of the con I've seen so far:
"Exhibits attached to the motion include an affidavit from Donald Kreiss, a Los Angeles-based entrepreneur, who says he engages in fundraising, deal-making and investing. Kreiss said he was introduced to Duric by a third party and agreed to invest in Duric's company, Maximum Management Group, in exchange for a percentage of the money generated from its exclusive marketing agreement with Williamson." Source
So now Duric says he was the victim of a con. I don't know if he's telling the truth, but this pretty much blows up whatever was left of the filing by Ford's team.
Should this play out as expected/as it appears to be going, any chance ESPN et al will report on this hoax as breathlessly as they did the initial allegations?
Wow . . . this is like the script of a bad movie.
I'm still a little unclear on the implications of all this. So if the phone numbers from the con man were immediately disconnected after the payment, why did Duric/Gina Ford still think they had a deal with the real Zion and went to the trouble of this lawsuit? Or is Duric not connected to Gina Ford?
Last edited by kAzE; 07-14-2020 at 08:45 PM.
Duric is not connected to Ford at all. Ford got a California guy who gave Duric a bunch of money as in investment in Duric's "agency" to sign an affidavit saying Duric paid Zion and his stepdad $400k.
Duric says he paid over $100k to people who tricked him into believing they were connected to Zion. They supposedly gave him the forged documents, and they are the ones that disconnected the phones.
So Duric either conned the California guy or got conned himself and then unwittingly made the California guy a victim. Allegedly, Duric tried to scam Luka Doncic in 2018, so I'm not sure I believe him.
Regardless, he's now saying he never paid (or even met) Zion or anyone connected with him.
This is a good example of why hearsay is inadmissible. Also why Ford's attorneys are garbage.
You're joking, right?
They may indeed love Zion, but I don't know that many people would blame Zion that much even if the accusations were true. When it comes to shopping a top recruit, it's often the parents, coaches, and others in their orbit that have their hand out, more than the player. Second, it appears most fans are sympathetic to the notion that college players deserve to share some of the value they bring, above and beyond getting a free education, housing, meals, etc.
But as far as Duke's reputation - controversy sells. The narrative that "Duke isn't as pure as the driven snow - here's why" sells. Duke serves as a villain to many in the college basketball world. They represent a snooty, expensive, and exclusive private school, not any particular state or point of local pride. They are too good, so when they get beat, it's something special, it's almost always an upset. They get the best players - but how do they do it without cheating, since it seems like other teams do so in order to get their players? So rumors and accusations swirl. People tune in to see the mighty fall. To hear the townspeople shout that the emperor has no clothes. But without an emperor, there's no story.
Outrage gets eyeballs, and ESPN is in the business of bringing in eyeballs (and clicks).