Minnesota developer and former NBA player Malik Beasley is in the crosshairs of a federal gambling investigation. This probe comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed against him by Hazan Sports Management Group. In April that same year, a lawsuit was filed against Beasley for breaking a written contract. The plaintiffs are seeking $2.25 million in damages and legal fees. Beasley is now under legal fire, as the company wrestles with allegations of impending bankruptcy. As a result, the company is unable to pay back a $650,000 advance that Hazan Sports had given them earlier this year.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York is heading the federal investigation into Beasley. He was under contract with the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2023-24 season when gambling allegations surfaced. He is now the third NBA player that this office has investigated over the last 18 months. Deepening concern on gambling This trend of the league embracing gambling marks a notable shift.
With Hazan Sports Management Group signing Beasley as a client just this past November. They took this decision in part because of his public financial troubles. The firm later tried to recoup the costly marketing advance, but negotiations have since reportedly soured. An attorney for Hazan Sports mentioned that they “elected to take a chance and make a substantial investment of time, effort, and resources in a player with known issues (including and especially financial issues).”
Steve Haney is the one on the ground actively defending Beasley in the federal gambling probe. He’s not contesting the civil suit brought by Hazan Sports. Haney emphasized the importance of due process, stating, “Malik is afforded the same right of the presumption of innocence as anyone else under the U.S. Constitution. As of now he has not been charged with anything.”
Three other defendants in the case have previously pleaded guilty. Two other men are still working out plea deals with prosecutors. Beasley must overcome tremendous odds as he walks into the uncertain, unfamiliar territory of these legal challenges. The new layer of challenge now includes navigating both civil and federal issues.
On June 11, Hazan Sports’ attorney filed a request for an extension in the civil suit to allow time for settlement discussions. Those negotiations, which have made progress during the pandemic, are now stalled. This ambiguity has continued to leave Beasley in legal jeopardy and under ethical, legal, and financial questions over his state of financial affairs.
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