PEOPLE
It looks like Charles Barkley is sticking to his plan to retire from TNT when his contract expires.
In a conference call Tuesday, Barkley said he has two years remaining on his deal, which runs through the end of the 2024 season. After that, it’s goodbye television, so the former NBA great can spent more time out in the links.
“I just don’t feel the need to work until the day I die,” Barkley said. “I’ll be 61 years old if I finish out my contract, and I don’t want to die on TV — I want to die on the golf course or somewhere fishing.”
Barkley joined TNT in 2000 after retiring from the NBA, and has contemplated retiring many times. In 2019, Barkley said he was seriously considering to walk away from his role on TNT’s popular “Inside the NBA” before his contract expired.
“I think about it every year. I’m not going to work [expletive] forever. I can promise you that,” Barkley told the Inquirer at the time.
Barkley’s comments come as he and his longtime TNT colleagues Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal prepare to host an alternate broadcast of the NBA All-Star game on Sunday on TBS in the style of ESPN’s popular Manningcast.
“We have zero idea what the hell we are doing Sunday, to be honest with you,” Barkley said Tuesday. “We’re just going to go on TV and have fun like we normally do.”
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LOS ANGELES — Allison Gollust, the CNN executive whose relationship with Jeff Zucker led to his resignation as the cable network’s president, is leaving after an internal inquiry found violations of news standards, parent company WarnerMedia said.
Gollust’s resignation Tuesday followed the conclusion of an investigation concerning ex-anchor Chris Cuomo and his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, according to a memo from Jason Kilar, CEO of CNN parent WarnerMedia.
“The investigation found violations of Company policies, including CNN’s News Standards and Practices, by Jeff Zucker, Allison Gollust, and Chris Cuomo,” Kilar said in the memo.
WarnerMedia confirmed the memo and echoed it in a statement. The company declined further comment.
Chris Cuomo was fired after it was revealed in documents released by New York Attorney General Letitia James that his behind-the-scenes role helping craft his brother’s response to harassment charges was more extensive than previously acknowledged.
James’ office found that Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed at least 11 women. The former governor resigned in August to avoid a likely impeachment trial.
In Kilar’s memo, he said the investigation that concluded last week relied on interviews and a review of 100,000-plus texts and emails. The inquiry was performed by a third-party law firm and led by a former federal judge, the memo said.
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Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and actress Shailene Woodley have reportedly called off their engagement.
Quoting an “insider,” celebrity site In Touch reports that Rodgers “put football first” and neither he nor Woodey were happy. That publications also said Rodgers, 38, got cold feet as his wedding day with the 30-year-old “Ending, Beginnings” actress approached. The pair announced their engagement one year ago.
Whether or not football will continue to be a priority for the unvaccinated Rodgers is uncertain. The four-time NFL Most Valuable Player has not announced whether he’ll play next year or retire. He recently said he could make that decision by the end of the month. Rodgers has spent his entire career with the Packers since entering the NFL in 2005. He was named the 2022 MVP last week.
Woodley stood by Rodgers when he contracted COVID-19 in November after claiming he’d been immunized. Rodgers, who had not been vaccinated, was forced to miss a game against the Kansas City Chiefs, which accounted for one of his team’s four regular season losses.
They won 13 games and finished first in their conference before being upset at home in the playoffs. During his time away from the team, a photo of a man walking around Los Angeles who some people believed was Rodgers began making the rounds online.
“I know Aaron’s body VERY well,” Woodley wrote on Instagram, denying the picture was of her beau. “First off, his feet, ahem and no offense to this random dude, are a LOT bigger. ;).”
From combined wire services
