The Weekender: Court Storming Chaos Injures Another CBB Star, Former Michigan Player Leaves a Gun Safe and Playbook in a Sold Storage Unit, and ESPN Accuses FSU of a Felony

By George Eisner on February 25, 2024 at 2:35 pm
Wake Forest students storm the court at at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum after upsetting the Duke Blue Devils
Cory Knowlton | USA TODAY Sports
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Wake Forest Students Injure Duke's Kyle Filipowski During Court Storm

Court storming continues to reign as a subject of controversy during the 2024 college basketball season after another star player suffered an injury amid celebratory chaos.

Following Wake Forest's 83-79 win over No. 8 Duke yesterday, projected top-10 NBA Draft pick Kyle Filipowski suffered an ankle sprain when Demon Deacon students crashed into him near midcourt after the final buzzer.

Filipowski after the game went as far as to say that he felt the actions of the Wake Forest students were both personal and intentional.

Duke's head coach Jon Scheyer after the game openly asked when the time would come to ban court storming entirely. He also compared the incident to what happened to Caitlin Clark after Ohio State upset Iowa last month.

It remains unclear if any punishment or rule changes will take place in the aftermath of this latest incident, but early speculation would suggest any sort of ban or additional security measures are still a long way off from happening.

Gun Safe and Playbook Among Items Recovered in Former Michigan Player's Storage Unit

An ex-Michigan football player left behind several items of interest in a since-sold storage unit for a buyer to find and peruse, including a gun safe and playbook from the Wolverines' 2022 season.

According to TikTok user Vincent Broadway (vbroadwayfinds), the storage locker cost $1,880 and belonged to a former Michigan football player selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The only ex-Wolverine that fits that description would be defensive tackle Mazi Smith, chosen by the Dallas Cowboys with the 26th overall pick.

Broadway found so many items of interest in the storage unit, he had to create three different videos to detail all of his discoveries.

@vbroadwayfinds Here is part 2 to the greatest shoe Unit Ill ever find! #jordan #nike #exclusive #michiganfootball #michigan #sneakers #sneakerheads #travisscott #collegefootball #rare #worthit #gamble #nfl ♬ original sound - CFB_Daily
@vbroadwayfinds He is the third and final part of the lastest storage unit! #storagewars #finds #nike #michigan #finds #sneakers #supreme #bape #barstool #fypシ #fyp ♬ Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!(Edit) - Scotty & Wilcox

Among the items Broadway recovered include:

  • A sealed gun safe, though upon opening it, Broadway only found a small collection of Star Wars figures. Smith faced a felony weapons charge in late 2022 related to carrying a Glock 19 and loaded magazines with no license before pleading down to a misdemeanor and receiving 12 months of probation.
  • A Michigan football playbook from the 2022 season.
  • A receipt for $12,000 Cartier solid gold sunglasses.
  • A Louis Vutton toiletry bag valued at over $1,000.
  • Several thousands of dollars worth of Michigan player-exclusive Jordan brand shoes, cleats, athletic gear, clothes, bags, and more.
  • Multiple containers of Star Wars Lego and Halo Mega Bloks sets, one of which had a handwritten label of "Missile Lane Eous" on it.

ESPN Accuses FSU of Felonious Behavior in Lawsuit Against ACC

As the ACC continues its lawsuit against the Florida State board of trustees, ESPN entered the fray on Thursday by declaring its support for keeping the media agreement between the conference and media company sealed from public view.

ESPN further went as far as to say FSU and its attorneys may have “committed a felony by knowingly disclosing ESPN’s trade secrets.”

The lawsuit concerns an argument from FSU that the ACC failed to act in the ideal interests of schools within the conference across several instances involving ESPN. FSU sought to make documents from the agreement between the ACC and ESPN a matter of public record in North Carolina — location of the ACC headquarters — given they already qualify as such in Florida, where another lawsuit already finds itself underway.

ICYMI

NCAA Temporarily Loses Legal Ability to Enforce NIL Ban on Recruiting

On Friday, a federal judge bestowed preliminary injunction upon the states of Tennessee and Virginia in lawsuits against the NCAA. The ruling — which has widespread but perhaps temporary ramifications for the entire NIL landscape — cites college athletics' governing body prohibiting such a ban as a plausible violation of federal antitrust law.

Ohio Casino Control Commission Bans All Prop Betting on Collegiate Players Starting March 1st

Barely a year after the state of Ohio enacted legalized sports betting, the OCCC has moved to ban all prop betting on players representing collegiate teams starting next month. NCAA president Charlie Baker called for the move himself earlier this month while citing data that claims, "student-athletes are getting harassed by bettors."

EA Sports College Football 25 Begins Opt-In Process for Paying Players

As college football prepares for its first video game release in over a decade this summer, this week saw the beginning of players finally getting paid for their digital likeness. Over 5,000 college football players opted into the agreement on its first day of eligibility, which includes $600 per year in school as well as a copy of the game itself — a $70 value.

What’s Next

  • Men’s Basketball: at Michigan State, Today, 4 p.m. ET (CBS); vs. Nebraska, Thursday, 6:30 p.m. ET 
  • Women’s Basketball: vs. Maryland, Today 2 p.m. ET (BTN); vs. Michigan, Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET
  • 48 Days: Ohio State's spring football game
  • 188 Days: Ohio State football's season opener vs. Akron
  • 279 Days: The Game
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