A defamation and false-light lawsuit brought by former Alabama basketball player Kai Spears against The New York Times is headed to trial, according to a report by Michael McCann in Sportico.
The suit, initially filed in 2023 following a Times report suggesting Spears was at the scene of a shooting involving some of his Alabama basketball teammates that resulted in the death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris, claims that the paper erroneously reported Spears’ presence, and that a person reading the story could have reasonably concluded that Spears was “complicit” or in some way “involved” in the deadly shooting.
The initial report, authored by Times reporter Billy Witz, who covered college sports for the paper at the time, stated Spears’ presence at the scene hadn’t been previously reported, and that two bullets that struck the car of star Crimson Tide forward Brandon Miller did not hit Miller or Spears. The report was sourced with information from a “person familiar with the case.”
As it would turn out, Spears was not present at the scene when the shooting occurred. He had been with his teammates earlier that night following a game against LSU, but had gone back to his dorm before the fatal incident took place. Spears was mistaken for an Alabama basketball manager, Cooper Lee. The Times corrected its story a couple of months following the initial publication.
Spears claims the reporting caused him anxiety and stress and is seeking damages from the Times. The Times claims it did not accuse Spears of committing any crimes, even arguing Spears could’ve been portrayed as a potential victim in some interpretations of the report, which detailed he was not struck by bullets in a shooting that “could have been more deadly.”
Last week, U.S. District Judge Annemarie Carney Axon denied the Times‘ motion for summary judgment, holding that key deliberations in the case should be left to a jury.
Among those deliberations are whether the Times‘ statements, which suggested Spears was in the vehicle that transported the weapon to the crime scene, would be “highly offensive” to a reasonable person.
Per McCann, the trial, which is set for August 10, “would provide a window into the editing process of sports reporting and how decisions are made,” including “the use of anonymous sources, a sometimes-divisive topic in newsrooms, since the source is not putting their name behind whatever they’ve claimed or shared.”
Of course, it is entirely possible that this case can end in a settlement before reaching trial, which would put any of those potential revelations to bed.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.