The New York Times must pay $9.25 million in damages. An Alabama jury found the newspaper defamed former college basketball player Kai Spears. The eight-person panel reached its verdict after a nine-day trial in federal court.
Spears was an 18-year-old freshman walk-on at the University of Alabama when the story appeared. Reporter Billy Witz published the March 2023 article. It falsely claimed Spears sat as a passenger in a car at the scene of a fatal January 2023 shooting in Tuscaloosa.
The shooting left 23-year-old Jamea Harris dead. Former Alabama player Darius Miles and Michael Lynn Davis later faced charges. Davis received a life sentence without parole. Spears, however, had no connection to the events.
Kai Spears (32) watches his three pointer fall in at Coleman Coliseum. Credit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Witz cited an anonymous source he called a "high-level person, professional." The article suggested the fatal incident could have been deadlier. It placed Spears in the car with future NBA No. 3 overall pick Brandon Miller when bullets struck the vehicle.
Spears was never at the scene. The actual passenger was student manager Cooper Lee. Alabama athletic director and Spears' father both denied the claim soon after publication. The New York Times stood by its reporting at first.
Spears described the fallout in strong terms .
"I was not anywhere near the scene or vicinity at the time that took place," he said, per the Daily Mail. "I don't think it is a mistaken identity. I just think they didn't do their due diligence.
"I had multiple threats from like Twitter and Instagram, people telling me to kill myself, people telling me I'm a murderer, we're a team full of murderers. And they're just kind of putting this false narrative out… I mean, I did nothing wrong."
Jan 11, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; A detail shot of a basketball going through the hoop prior to the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images
The newspaper did not correct the error until June 2023. That update came only after Spears filed his defamation suit. An editor's note finally admitted the mistake and named Cooper Lee as the correct person.
A New York Times spokesperson later called the error an honest mistake.
"We're disappointed the jury found The Times liable for an honest mistake," the statement read.
The paper noted it had not lost a U.S. defamation case in more than 50 years. It plans to review legal options.
Attorney Matt Glover, who represented Spears, welcomed the outcome. He believes the verdict will improve journalism across the country. Spears had already transferred away from Alabama by the time of the trial.
The post College Basketball Star Wins Historic Defamation Lawsuit Against New York Times For Almost $10 Million originally published on Total Pro Sports .
