Alabama basketball player Kai Spears sues New York Times claiming libel, defamation

Alabama basketball player Kai Spears has filed a lawsuit against the New York Times for libel and defamation, the Tuscaloosa Patch reported Wednesday. Spears was the subject of an article in March alleging he was in Brandon Miller’s car the night of the deadly shooting which killed Jamea Jonae Harris.

The Patch’s Ryan Phillips reported Spears is suing the newspaper for an excess of $75,000 in damages for failure to issue a retraction for that story. Shortly after the article came out, Alabama Athletics refuted the story with a statement and Spears said it was “100% inaccurate.”

“I have one thing to say – the report in the New York Times was 100% inaccurate and the writer had complete disregard for the truth,” Spears wrote about the article. “I am trying to process and cope with these false statements that somehow have been published and then seen by so many. So thankful to Alabama Athletics for refuting it on my behalf.

“More than anything… I remain completely heartbroken by the tragic death that occurred that night.”

According to The Patch’s report, Spears met with friends who were in town visiting after Alabama’s game against LSU Jan. 14. They ended up at The Strip and met Miller outside Houndstooth, a popular bar. Miler then invited them to eat at Moe’s Original BBQ at around 12:30 a.m. Jan. 15, but they said no because Spears’ friends had to leave early to head home.

At 1:40 a.m. Jan. 15, Spears’ attorneys say an Alabama manager, Cooper Lee, reportedly got into Miller’s car while Spears and his friends headed back to his dorm. The shooting occurred at approx. 1:45 a.m., and Spears called Miller and Jaden Bradley via FaceTime to see where they went. That’s when he learned of the shooting, which damaged Miller’s car.

The shooting occurred in January and involved former Alabama player Darius Miles, who was charged with capital murder and promptly dismissed from the basketball team and removed from campus shortly thereafter. Police testimony later came out linking Miller to the shooting, saying the gun — which belonged to Miles, according to previous court records — was in his car. Miller has not been charged and is viewed as a witness and not a suspect, police have said.

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne has also said Miller thought he was giving Miles a ride home that night.

“Darius had been asking Brandon to come pick him up for close to an hour,” Byrne told ESPN’s Rece Davis and Pete Thamel Feb. 22. “He was his ride that evening. Brandon was already on his way to pick up Darius when he received a text message from him that was reported in the media yesterday. I didn’t know that yesterday. I found that out today.”