Jada Pinkett Smith Calls BS On Claim She and August Alsina Had Affair
Jada Pinkett Smith says claims made by singer August Alsina that the two had an affair that was green-lit by her husband, Will Smith, are a total lie.
August recently sat down with The Breakfast Club's Angela Yee to talk about his new album, "The Product III: stateofEMERGEncy" ... but the interview quickly took a turn, with him claiming he had been in a relationship with Jada after being introduced to her by her son, Jaden, in 2015, and, according to him, it lasted quite some time.
AA was emotional as he explained how Jada is the only person he's ever loved, and how he devoted himself to her and poured himself into their relationship for many years. However, Jada's rep was quick to denounce his claim ... saying it was "absolutely not true!!!"
August also insists Will gave their relationship his blessing. Will and Jada have been very public over the years about their open relationship, but her team says the whole thing is made up.
The singer claims walking away from his relationship with Jada when she "butchered" him and basically "killed" him ... so it sounds for his part like he was pretty deeply in love with her.
August hinted at a sexual relationship with Jada last year, when he made some thinly-veiled references to her in his song, "Nunya."
Now, August has spoken his piece about his alleged romantic past with Jada ... but reps for Jada could not have been more clear about their stance.
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7-Eleven TX Woman Freaks Over Mask Policy Spits on the Counter!!!
'Rona-truthers have infiltrated the Lone Star State -- here's a Texas woman melting down at a 7-Eleven over their mask policy ... only here, she left behind a gross remnant to mark her territory.
The woman is trying to buy a rack of Miller Lite -- but the front counter clerk won't let her check out because she's not wearing a face covering. She starts throwing a tantrum, and it's all downhill from there.
The guy points out the obvious ... she doesn't have a mask. She agrees, flabbergasted that he won't sell her the beer because of it. He stands firm though, saying it's the convenience store's policy to have one on while shopping, and that pisses her off even more.
The woman says the amount of time he's wasting is probably spreading more germs than if he would just let her purchase the booze and be on her way -- and his response is ... buy a mask here. The lady absolutely refuses to do so, starting to proclaim ... well, 'MURICA!!!
In the latter half of the video, the woman continues to escalate the situation ... outright spitting on the counter before storming out. The 7-Eleven guy keeps his cool throughout.
No word on whether this got to the point of getting cops involved, or if things ended here. In any case, it's another example of would-be freedom fighters pushing back with all their might against a simple policy that even some of Trump's closest allies are starting to follow.
It's also proving once more ... the mask-less are not getting much shopping done these days.
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Breonna Taylor Family Outraged, Disappointed ... Over Kentucky AG Engagement Pics
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Breonna Taylor's family is in the same corner as Beyonce's mom over photos of Kentucky's top prosecutor partying it up with his fiancee instead of drilling down in her case.
ICYMI ... photos surfaced over the weekend of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron hosting an engagement party with friends and loved ones -- something Bey's ma, Tina Lawson, jumped on and openly criticized on social media, along with several others.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
She explained how Cameron's election to the AG office was initially seen as a boon for the black community -- but went on to say his inaction in the case proves otherwise, especially when it comes to Breonna's killing.
Tina writes, "I have no problem with who he marries, that is his personal business. That is not what this post is about! I just don’t understand his actions!!! And where are their masks?"
Sources close to the family tell us they couldn't agree more with Tina's sentiment ... they see these photos as a slap in the face.
We're told the family has its own team working round the clock for answers -- and while the AG said he too was doing the same, our sources say the family feels his actions prove otherwise. Even if the guy's got a team on it, we're told they see this as him not giving a damn.
And yes, as for Tina's claim that Cameron snubbed Breonna's mom ... we're told that's true. She tried meeting with him in early June, but he avoided her and had someone else from his office speak to her over the phone. We're told he hasn't provided any updates.
The latest news in Breonna's case ... one of the officers involved in her death, Brett Hankison, got canned from the Louisville PD. That's about it -- no criminal charges have been filed, and there's no telling if charges are forthcoming. The shooting occurred more than 3 months ago.
Now, Cameron has called for patience, as he's said he's vetting the case thoroughly -- but we're told Breonna's family has lost confidence in him bringing about justice.
We've reached out to the Attorney General's office for comment on Cameron's engagement photos ... so far, no word back.
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Jermiah Braswell Wild Arrest Video ... Shows Cops Pulling NFL WR Out of Lake
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4:04 PM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained the police footage of Braswell's Saturday arrest ... and it's WILD.
In the video, several cops ordered Braswell out of the Camaro that's stalled on a lake embankment ... and you can see in the clip, Jermiah struggles to walk toward cops from the water.
Eventually, Put-In-Bay PD officers are able to grab him and put him in cuffs ... and for the next several minutes, he tried to explain to them what happened.
The 23-year-old insisted he wasn't drunk "at all" ... and told the officers, "Honestly, I play for the NFL, dawg."
Braswell underwent several field sobriety tests ... and appeared to bomb them all -- badly.
Cops then threw the cuffs on him and took him to the station ... where he was booked on charges of driving while under the influence and reckless operation, per the police report.
In police photos from the scene ... you can see just how crazy Braswell's alleged drive into the lake was -- there are tire marks on the grass and debris everywhere.
NFL rookie Jermiah Braswell's time with the Arizona Cardinals is over before it even began -- the wide receiver has been cut after allegedly drunkenly driving his Camaro into Lake Erie.
The 23-year-old ex-Youngstown State star -- who signed as an undrafted free agent in April -- was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated in Put-in-Bay, OH on Saturday ... after cops found him in the driver's seat trying to move the vehicle out of the water.
According to witnesses, the Toledo native was traveling at "a very high rate of speed" on the road before the crash ... driving onto grass, off an embankment and into the water.
When cops spoke with Braswell, they claim he was slurring his speech and had no idea how he ended up in the lake ... and decided to conduct field sobriety tests.
Braswell also took a breathalyzer test, which reportedly showed a BAC higher than the Ohio limit.
The NFL transaction report shows the Cards decided to part ways with the rookie on Monday ... ending his short stint with the team.
Originally published -- 1:07 PM PT
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Texas Woman Calls Boss 'N****' After Being Fired
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A woman in Texas launched a racist tirade against her Black boss after he fired her ... repeatedly calling him the n-word on camera.
The racist meltdown unfolded Monday inside the offices of Gibson Arnold & Associates, a staffing agency for the legal industry based in Houston.
Video shows the woman berating a Black manager seated in the middle of a room, calling him a "n****" and "motherf*****" and then trying to use the n-word to make a freestyle rap.
Gibson Arnold & Associates called the incident "horrific" and said ... "the man she is yelling at is one of our valued employees and a leader in our Houston office who was firing her."
The company says the woman was a temporary worker who was escorted out of the building immediately after ranting and making racist comments.
This lady's lucky she didn't pull this in a Sacramento convenient store -- as we've seen ... people get knocked out for using epithets there.
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Pop Smoke Fans Hate Virgil Abloh's Album Cover Art ... Change is Coming
Pop Smoke's fans have spoken -- loudly and clearly -- the cover art designed by Virgil Abloh for the rapper's posthumous album is trash ... so a change is coming.
Pop's highly anticipated album, "Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon" is set to release July 3, but when the cover art was revealed Monday ... it was widely ridiculed and roasted, and fans immediately demanded a do-over.
Among the most common complaints about the cover ... the lazy Photoshop job, along with using a photo of Smoke that's the first one that comes up on Google images.
In his defense, when Abloh posted the artwork he said he'd just finished it and explained ... "this album cover was one of like 5 things we talked about. he mentioned his story felt like the metaphor of a rose & thorns growing from concrete of his hood in Canarsie, Brooklyn."
Hey Virgil we need new album art, they ain’t going for this bullshit. Love ya work let’s get to it. 🤔Steven i told you this shit was 😡eww let’s get it right! #bransoncognac #lecheminduroi pic.twitter.com/mE24CtErto
— 50cent (@50cent) June 30, 2020 @50cent
Fans weren't buying it though. Even 50 Cent -- a mentor to the late hip-hop star -- called out Abloh.
Fif tweeted ... "Hey Virgil we need new album art, they ain’t going for this bulls**t. Love ya work let’s get to it. Steven i told you this s**t was eww let’s get it right!"
That Steven is Pop's manager, Steven Victor, who's already made it clear that Abloh's art will be redone before the album is released.
Victor says Pop -- who was on the rise when he was fatally shot in February in a home invasion -- would listen to his fans and make a change ... so that's what they're going to do.
It's unclear if Abloh will get another crack at it or if the cover art will be done by someone else, but ya gotta think ... anything new will be an improvement.
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Buffalo Police Lieutenant Calls Woman 'Little F***ing C***' ... As She Films Encounter
5:04 PM PT -- We're told the officer has been suspended.
The Buffalo Police Department once again is in the news and, once again, for all the wrong reasons ... after a lieutenant called a woman filming him a "disrespectful little f***ing c***."
The incident unfolded Sunday at a 7-Eleven parking lot in Buffalo ... whereas many as 10 police officers responded to a call. The lieutenant -- Mike DeLong -- told the woman filming him they were responding to a man with 2 crack pipes who had allegedly attacked his mother.
The lieutenant can be seen telling the woman, "We have cameras too" before she tells him to get away from her. The woman, who posted the video to Facebook, asked the lieutenant if having so many officers at the scene was really necessary.
Check out the video ... you then see the lieutenant appear to walk away before saying, "You're a disrespectful little f***ing c***, that's what you are." The woman fires back, "Thank you, you're going to be viral." Unperturbed, the lieutenant responds, “I don’t care if I go viral, I really don’t.”
The woman who posted the video said she was pulling out of the 7-Eleven parking lot when she saw police cars roll up. She said she started recording because she saw 5 cops -- including a female cop with a baton in her hand -- walk toward the man in question. She said, "I was immediately concerned. I've lived on the westside of Buffalo for my whole life (pre-gentrification), I've seen people in my community battle substance abuse and mental illness. He seemed off, but I was not threatened by him in the slightest."
You can see in the video cops keep their distance before the man's eventually placed in a gurney and wheeled into an ambulance. The woman ended her caption with this, "Armed police officers should be able to effectively do their job without being threatened by civilians recording them."
The Police Commissioner has ordered an immediate internal investigation into the incident.
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CFL's Christion Jones Fired Over Homophobic Tweets ... 'No Place For Such Commentary'
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Christion Jones -- an ex-Univ. of Alabama WR -- is now jobless ... he was cut by the Edmonton Eskimos over the weekend, and the team says it's all because of the guy's homophobic tweets.
The 27-year-old fired off intolerant words on social media on Saturday, writing in one, "Man ain't suppose to be with a man. A women is not suppose to be with another women."
Jones doubled down several times on the comments after he faced backlash ... but when word of his tweets reached his employers -- he was quickly fired.
The Eskimos -- who traded for Jones during the 2019 season -- said, "We stand by the LGBTQ+ community and firmly condemn the language used by Christion Jones."
They added, "There is no place for such commentary on our team. Jones has been released from the roster."
The CFL itself also blasted Jones ... saying in a statement of its own, "There is no place in our league for commentary that disparages people on the basis of their religion, race, gender or sexual orientation."
"As Pride Month continues, we stand with the LGBTQ+ community. We all need to say no to hate and yes to love."
For his part, Jones -- after hours of defending his initial comments and swearing he wouldn't apologize -- did end up saying he was sorry for the insensitive comments.
"My words were deeply hurtful, painful and served zero purpose," Jones said. "I added to the struggle of a community, to live a life free of oppression of any kind. I sincerely apologize. I was wrong."
Jones was a solid contributor for the Crimson Tide from 2011 to 2014 ... and had been having a successful CFL career before his release Sunday.
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St. Louis Protest Couple Points Guns at Crowd Marching by Their Mansion
A married couple in an upscale area of St. Louis came out of their home strapped and pointing guns at protesters ... while barefoot, mind you.
The surreal scene went down Sunday evening in the Central West End neighborhood, as a crowd was marching to the home of Mayor Lyda Krewson to demand her resignation for releasing names and addresses of citizens who want to defund the police.
The couple, attorneys Mark and Patricia McCloskey, apparently felt threatened by the protesters and stepped outside brandishing firearms -- Mark with a semi-automatic weapon and Patricia with a handgun. Seems it was a split-second decision because they didn't even put on shoes.
In the video, at least, all the peaceful protesters remained on the sidewalk and didn't appear to trespass on the McCloskey's property. However, the couple told police the protesters entered their gated community by forcing their way through a gate marked "No trespassing." It's unclear if the sidewalk is public or private.
Fortunately, the act of intimidation from the barefoot Bonnie and Clyde only led to verbal spats with some of the reported 300 protestors.
One note of irony ... Mark and Patricia are personal injury lawyers who have exclusively represented people "seriously injured or killed as the result of the negligence of others" for the past 3 decades.
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Aurora PD Boots, Sprays Peaceful Protesters At Violin Vigil for Elijah McClain
6/27/20
Cops in Aurora, CO came in like a military unit to forcibly remove -- not to mention pepper spray -- peaceful protesters who were watching a violin performance to honor Elijah McClain.
This went down Saturday in City Center Park, where a musical vigil had been planned to pay respects to Elijah -- who died while in custody of Aurora PD last year -- which was incredibly symbolic, seeing how Elijah played violin himself. At one point, the police had seen enough.
In the video, captured by a vigilant bystander, you can see the jarring juxtaposition play out live on camera. At first, you hear the violinists -- some of whom are said to have been underage -- beautifully playing in unison, and the next minute ... cops are storming the place.
The woman recording can be heard -- along with others -- openly yelling "No!" at what's about to happen next ... forcible removal and literally pushing the protesters out of the park, while shutting down the performance. Pepper spray started getting dispersed at one point too.
As police in riot gear were spraying protesters with pepper spray and using batons to push them back at the #ElijahMcClain protest in Aurora today, this man began playing the violin. One of the most surreal scenes I’ve ever seen. Music is powerful. #9News pic.twitter.com/3adLTuBZB7
— Marc Sallinger (@MarcSallinger) June 28, 2020 @MarcSallinger
A reporter on the ground captured an even more surreal moment ... as cops were literally pushing up against protesters, a violinist on stage started playing soothing melodies.
The protesters stood their ground as long as they could -- several even formed a human barrier around the violinists to protect them from the police. Communal chants also erupted ... with phrases like, "Why are you in riot gear? I don't see no riot here!"
The violin vigil for #ElijahMcClain pushes forward in the parking lot. Elijah lives the violin. Just feet from riot police, the sound of the violin drowns out the shouting #9News pic.twitter.com/3jFI7GgTom
— Marc Sallinger (@MarcSallinger) June 28, 2020 @MarcSallinger
Eventually, the protesters were forced to the parking lot ... but they didn't let that ruin the get-together. Some violinists followed along and continued on the pavement. The protesters even broke out in song, singing "Lean On Me" ... in what proved to be a powerful statement in response to the brutality they'd just gone through, for no reason at all.
UPDATE: There is a small contingent of protestors that are arming themselves with rocks & sticks and continue to ignore orders to move back. This is now an unlawful assembly. Disperse.
— Aurora Police Dept. 👮🏼♀️👮🏾♂️😷 (@AuroraPD) June 28, 2020 @AuroraPD
Peaceful protestors & community members should move to the s/w parking lot by the library. pic.twitter.com/SqBeF0Z4MJ
If you're wondering what Aurora PD had to say about this, they claimed the crowd was getting unruly and some were even arming themselves and hurling projectiles at the squad. In the end ... the police say only 3 people were arrested for violating lawful orders after warnings were given.
It's unclear why cops just didn't stand back ... this was almost entirely a peaceful protest and especially given what police did to Elijah, they could have just watched from a distance.
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Chase Rice's Tour Stop #1 Hosts Absolutely Packed Concert ... No Masks, Social Distancing
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6/27/20
3:06 PM PT -- The concert venue where Chase Rice packed the house has responded to the disaster from Saturday night, and they basically say ... we did what we could, and we'll try harder next time.
The Brushy Mountain Group tells TMZ ... "All local requirements were abided by for the recent concert, and numerous precautions were taken. We drastically reduced our maximum venue capacity of 10,000 to 4,000 maximum capacity (lower than the state’s advisement of 50%) with less than 1,000 in attendance Saturday night providing ample space in the outdoor lawn area for fans to spread out to their own comfort level."
They add, "All guests were given temperature checks prior to entering the venue and free hand sanitizer was provided to everyone at entry. All vendors and staff were advised to wear masks and gloves when interacting with guests, and bandanas were available for purchase on-site." They go on to say they were unable to further enforce physical distancing their signage recommended, and are looking at alternatives for future shows ... including adding stanchion dividers, implementing a drive-in style arrangement, or just postponing concerts outright.
Chase Rice got back to touring this weekend -- and to kick things off ... the guy allowed thousands of people to flood a concert venue, with ZERO regards for coronavirus safety.
The country singer held his first show in a while Saturday night at former prison-turned-event center called the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Petros, Tennessee. It usually can hold 10,000 bodies for a concert, but this weekend ... only 4,000 were allowed through.
Still, that proved to be more than enough heads to pack in tight and cluster together for Chase's return to the stage. That's exactly what happened, something he filmed himself.
As you can see, swarms of people are too close for comfort -- not practicing even the slightest hint of social distancing -- and practically NOBODY is wearing a face mask, Chase included. It's more about the people on the ground though -- they're the ones truly at risk.
It also doesn't help that Chase was leading them in a sing-along moment -- which probably exacerbated any type of potential 'rona molecules already flying through the air. And, of course -- like many other parts of the country -- COVID-19 cases are spiking in TN as well.
Weirdly enough, the Brushy Prison's site says it clear as day that they'll be adhering to social distancing -- but it looks like they must've missed their own memo come showtime.
What's even stranger about all this is that a handful of other venues for Chase's upcoming concerts are actually drive-in type facilities, which would ease concerns we see here. So, was this s*** show of safety just a flub or a one-off? Hard to say for sure right now.
At any rate, we've reached out to Chase's team for comment ... so far, no word back.
Originally Published -- 12:14 PM PT
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Donald Trump Approves Rally with Supporter Screaming 'White Power'
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Well, Donald Trump loves his white supremacists, because he just gave his stamp of approval on a protest where one of his loudest supporters is screaming "white power."
It's a bizarre demonstration/counter-demonstration ... a line of golf carts traversed streets around Sumter County, Florida with Trump supporters, as Trump protesters lined the streets.
You hear demonstrators, mostly seniors, boil over in anger ... there's no physical contact, but it's intense.
Thank you to the great people of The Villages. The Radical Left Do Nothing Democrats will Fall in the Fall. Corrupt Joe is shot. See you soon!!! https://t.co/4Gg1iGOhyG
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2020 @realDonaldTrump
True-to-form Trump retweeted the video, saying, "Thank you to the great people of The Villages. The Radical Left Do Nothing Democrats will Fall in the Fall. Corrupt Joe is shot. See you soon!!"
Again ... one of his most vocal supporters is the guy who screams "white power" ... one of Trump's "great people." So, he's not even masking it anymore.
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Trader Joe's Customer Goes Nuts Over Face Masks
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A Trader Joe's was the backdrop for an explosion of anger by a customer who felt it was her right to shop without a face mask.
The woman came to the San Fernando Valley store Friday wearing a mask ... the manager tells TMZ. At some point, as she was shopping the mask disappeared from her face. She says she has a breathing problem and that's why she took the mask off, but her lungs were filled with anger as her voice billowed through the store.
Either way ... we're told employees approached the woman and asked her to cover her face, but she refused. At that point, she goes insane, suggesting this was some sort of conspiracy by Democrats.
She was ordered to leave the store -- which she did.
BTW ... Los Angeles is having a huge spike in coronavirus cases. Also, you go to a grocery store you have to wear a mask. Period.
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Arizona Attorney General Knock it Off, Dream City Church!!! Rips Trump Venue for COVID-Free Claim
2:56 PM PT -- CleanAir EXP CEO, Tim Bender, tells TMZ, “We are committed to developing and providing advanced air and surface purification systems for homes and businesses. No air purification system, including ours, can universally prevent coronavirus (including COVID-19) infections."
He continues, "On June 23, we updated our website to further emphasize the coronavirus surrogates used in our laboratory testing and made all lab reports available. We encourage following hygiene guidelines in the manner ordered or suggested by government authorities.”
The Arizona church that hosted President Trump's rally and the company it claimed had tech to kill COVID-19 just got a tongue-lashing from the state's top prosecutor.
Arizona's Attorney General, Mark Brnovich, fired off a cease-and-desist letter to Dream City Church and CleanAir EXP ... telling them they're misrepresenting what CleanAir's technology can actually do -- claiming they haven't shown any scientific proof to back up the claim that it neutralizes 99.9% of viruses that are "COVID-19 surrogates."
The AG's office says it is "aware of no scientific research or public health authority certifying any kind of air treatment product as a means of preventing COVID-19 infections." As we reported, the Dream City Church bozos, Brendon Zastrow and Pastor Luke Barnett, made a video claiming CleanAir EXP's tech could zap away the virus.
A day later, CleanAir EXP chief strategy officer, Tim Bender, told TMZ ... Zastrow and Barnett went overboard and flat-out exaggerated about CleanAir's product.
The AG also said, "the church was placed on notice that misrepresentations and false promises related to the safety of church facilities may violate the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act."
As we reported ... tons of Trump supporters packed the venue earlier this week, with virtually none of them wearing masks or socially distancing.
Originally Published -- 1:15 PM PT
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Face Mask Exempt Card Dept. of Justice Says Don't Buy It!!!
The U.S. Department of Justice is calling out the "Exempt" cards folks claim allow them to get away with not covering their faces in public ... because the cards are fraudulent.
An alert was issued by the feds Thursday warning of the phony face mask flyers, urging the public to "be aware regarding fraudulent postings, cards, or flyers on the internet regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the use of face masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic."
The alert made it clear the cards were not issued by the government and not endorsed by it ... despite the appearance of the Dept. of Justice's seal.
U.S. Attorney Matthew G.T. Martin warned ... "Do not be fooled by the chicanery and misappropriation of the DOJ eagle. These cards do not carry the force of law. The 'Freedom to Breathe Agency,' or 'FTBA,' is not a government agency."
We'd like to say, "Yeah, no duh" ... but way too many people on social media seem fooled, as they circulated the cards this week as if they were legit.
The U.S. Attorney adds to check out the ADA website for official and correct info about the American Disabilities Act, and the CDC still encourages the use of facial coverings in public.
Not that you could tell from VP Mike Pence's latest coronavirus task force briefing.
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NC Racetrack Owner Advertises 'Bubba Rope' ... Slammed As 'Horrific & Shameful'
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An NC racetrack owner is being called "horrific", "shameful" and even a downright racist ... and it's all because he advertised the sale of "Bubba Rope" in the wake of NASCAR's noose incident.
Here's the deal ... Mike Fulp, a 55-year-old who owns 311 Speedway in Stokes County, NC -- threw up an ad on Facebook earlier this week for "Bubba Rope."
In the post -- which has since been deleted -- Fulp wrote, "Buy your Bubba Rope today for only $9.99 each, they come with a lifetime warranty and work great.’’
The ad was immediately hit with backlash ... with people outraged over the insensitivity, considering everything Bubba Wallace had just gone through regarding a garage rope pulldown at Talledega Superspeedway over the weekend.
A spokesperson for NC Governor Roy Cooper ripped the post apart in a statement to the Winston-Salem Journal, saying, "This incident of racism is horrific and shameful."
"North Carolina is better than this.''
Hundreds of people also took to social media to blast Fulp ... calling him a racist and threatening to boycott his track's events.
Multiple attempts to reach Fulp for comment by multiple news outlets have been unsuccessful.
Per the Winston-Salem Journal, NAACP officials are now looking to see if bringing criminal charges against Fulp over the post is a possibility.
"It is horrible that someone would post something of that nature," Reidsville NAACP chapter president Jeff Crisp said. "It's just absolutely unnecessary in these times of tension."
An event at Fulp's 311 Speedway, titled "America We Stand" on Facebook, is still scheduled to take place Saturday night.
For his part, Wallace -- the lone Black driver on NASCAR's top circuit -- hasn't blinked in the face of all of the adversity thrown his way this week ... even tweeting Thursday evening, "Still standing proud. Still smiling."