Ice Cube will reportedly take over as commissioner of the Big3 League after he fired Roger Mason Jr.
According to TMZ Sports, the league sent a letter to players, coaches and staff details a corruption investigation involving Mason and his ties to two Qatari investors, Ayman Sabi and Ahmed Al-Rumaihi, who allegedly stiffed the league out of millions of dollars.
The report also adds that Mason refused to cooperate with the BIG3 during the lawsuit because of his relationship with Sabi and Al-Rumaihi, and the league felt he was obligated to take its side because of his role as commissioner.
Per TMZ,
"One of the problems, the league says it found evidence the Qataris were showering certain BIG3 employees with gifts and vacations while refusing to pay the league. The insinuation is that Mason was one of the beneficiaries and it corrupted his ability to effectively run the league."
Mason released a statement earlier this week in which he accuses the Big3 League of running a “hostile and racist” work environment.
“I was terminated by BIG3 in retaliation for legal claims which I made last week in a letter sent by my attorneys to BIG3 Basketball alleging that the League had breached my employment agreement,” Mason said in the statement. “The violations of my agreement centered around BIG3 co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz, who has been engaged in a malicious, defamatory campaign of disparaging me in an attempt to prevent me from the performance of contractual duties and responsibilities. He has made countless unfounded attacks on my integrity, character, and leadership. The work environment at BIG3 has been hostile and racist resulting in the departure of valuable League personnel. Among other matters, a former employee of BIG3 recently told me that Kwatinetz has repeatedly referred to black athletes as ‘rich niggers.’"
“I am proud of the role I took in taking BIG3 from when it was merely a concept and transformed it into a successful basketball organization. I am disappointed at the conduct of Ice Cube and other executives of BIG3 in levelling these desperate manufactured claims against me. It will not derail the success of my legitimate claims against the League.”