Unofficial Members of Florida A&M Alumni Association File Lawsuit Against ESPN Executive

A puzzling situation is evolving between graduates of Florida A&M University, as an unofficial committee of Rattlers has filed a lawsuit against fellow Rattler and ESPN Vice President Keith Clinkscales for reneging on a business venture.

Keith Clinkscales, a senior vice president at the sports network, allegedly promised to use his corporate connections to get the Hip-Hop Grub Spot off the ground, according to the suit in Manhattan federal court.

So the alumni group’s investment committee lined up big-names to back the project – from NFL stars to music celebrities – only to have Clinkscales yank support last year, the suit charges.

The committee “continues to suffer irreparable economic losses,” the suit claimed without specifying a dollar figure.

Unfortunately, this group won’t have the support of the FAMU National Alumni Association, as they are not an official organization within the Association.

They, in fact, are no longer part of the association and have no right to file a lawsuit on its behalf,” said Reginald Mitchell, general council for the alumni organization.

A Jan. 26 letter from the association’s new president said the alumni association would not support any civil lawsuit.

You have to believe that Clinkscales has been an integral part of ESPN’s expanding HBCU coverage over the last few years, so he can’t be all bad. But with VIBE practically in the garbage, a hip-hop restaurant idea about as dead as the musical genre itself, and renegade Rattlers on the hunt for cash, you would hope for better out one of America’s largest networks of black college alumni.

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