TAMPA, Fla. — Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski believe that not only is it time to advance the conversation about social injustice in America — it’s time to come together and heal.
Like so many who have been affected by the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, and the protests that followed, they wrestled with, “What do we do next? What can we do to help?”
So O’Neal and Gronkowski have turned what they hoped would have been a real-life party into a three-hour virtual fundraiser, with all proceeds going to NAACP Empowerment Programs and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
The event, Shaq’s Fun House vs. Gronk Beach virtual party — which pays homage to their annual Super Bowl parties — will take place June 27 at 8 p.m. ET. It will include musical performances from Snoop Dogg, DaBaby, Steve Aoki, Diplo and Carnage. O’Neal will also make an appearance as DJ Diesel. It will be livestreamed free on ShaqvsGronk.com and simulcast across more than 20 other platforms, including LiveXLive, Facebook, Twitch, YouTube and Twitter.
“We want to be sensitive to people. That’s why we wanted [it] to be labeled as ‘Party with a Purpose,'” said O’Neal, a four-time NBA champion and 15-time All-Star. “We just want to bring a little joy. There’s a lot of stuff going on, and we are aware of that, and we hope to do our part. We’re gonna continue to do our part.”
Lamar Jackson admitted that the Baltimore Ravens underestimated the Tennessee Titans ahead of their shocking divisional-round loss last season.
The reigning NFL MVP said Tuesday on Complex’s “Load Management” podcast that he wants to focus on “not peeking ahead” this season, as that mentality got the Ravens in trouble against the Titans.
“That’s what happened in the playoffs, and we end up losing to the team people had us favored over,” Jackson said. “It’s any given Sunday. You can’t underestimate no team, no opponent and that’s what we did.
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“So I’m looking forward to this 2020 season playing the Browns first. … Don’t underestimate your opponents. They caught us by surprise. That’s all it was.”
Jackson in particular struggled in that game, finishing with his second-worst passer rating of the season. The star quarterback shouldered much of the blame after the game, telling reporters that “we just beat ourselves.”
“I had a lot of mistakes on my behalf,” said Jackson, who threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in top-seeded Baltimore’s 28-12 loss. “Three turnovers — that shouldn’t happen. But [Tennessee] came out to play.”
