From a Black History Month disaster to celebrity happenings, here’s everything you need to know about the news this morning.
Boston police have apologized after sharing a Black History Month tweet paying tribute to Red Auerbach, the former Boston Celtics head coach who happened to be a white man. The police department apologized after mounting backlash, tweeting, “BPD realizes that an earlier tweet may have offended some and we apologize for that. Our intentions were never to offend. It has been taken down.” (Boston Globe)
Kobe Bryant says he would have joined Colin Kaepernick’s protest if he were still playing basketball. The retired NBA legend told ESPN’s Jemele Hill, “Yeah, I would have participated in it, for sure. I’m sure I would have gotten some flak for it. That’s fine. I think that Colin’s message was a very simple one. It was police brutality needs to stop. We need to take a look at that.” (The Undefeated)
A new photo of Sammy Sosa has gone viral and left many people shocked and confused. The unrecognizable former baseball player (with his lightened skin) and his wife pose in cowboy attire in the photo, which has spread across the internet. And, while many had jokes, most were just concerned about Sosa’s appearance. (Yahoo Sports)
Black Panther is now on track for a massive $165 million opening. If ticket sales hold, the film would be the biggest February launch of all time. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Meek Mills legal team has reportedly filed a recusal motion to get Judge Genece Brinkley removed from the case. The rapper’s team believes there have been multiple instances of Brinkley violating judicial discretion and points to her hiring a defense attorney as grounds for speculation. (VIBE)
Mary J. Blige has landed a starring role in Netflix’s upcoming The Umbrella Academy. Blige will play a ruthless and unorthodox assassin who travels through time killing assigned targets. (Shadow and Act)
Regina Hall has joined Showtime’s Ball Street pilot. The comedy stars Don Cheadle and Andrew Rannells as finance industry outsiders who play a significant role in the stock market crash of 1987. Hall will play the head of trading at the financial firm. (Vulture)
Pfc. Emmanuel Mensah, the soldier who died in saving lives in a massive Bronx fire in December, will be honored at Mayor de Blasio’s State of the City speech Tuesday. Mensah died after saving four people from a burning Bronx building, which killed 12 others. (NY Daily News)
Toni Braxton will release her ninth studio album, and first solo project in eight years, March 23. Sex and Cigarettes comes after her collab with Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Love, Marriage & Divorce. (EW)