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Tag: Jahmel Binion

  • Shaquille O’Neal Being Sued By Disabled Man

    Shaquille O’Neal is being sued by a man he ridiculed on Instagram back in April.

    Shaquille O’Neal made fun of Jahmel Binion, 22, by posting a photo of himself making a face meant to humiliate Binion. Binion has a rare condition called ectodermal dysplasia, which cause abnormal development of the skin, hair, teeth, nails or sweat glands.

    He issued an apology shortly after an outcry ensued from the rest of us in decent civilization. Rapper Waka Flocka Flame and Utah Jazz Point Guard Trey Burke also apologized, as they had been in on Shaquille O’Neal’s fun.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5pUkjm14yU

    The trio claimed they didn’t know about Binion’s condition and Binion seemed to turn a bad situation into a good one. After Shaquille O’Neal’s humiliating post, Binion created the immensely popular Hug Don’t Judge Facebook page that has attracted attention from all over the world and now has over 22,000 members.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvsS57YHkFA

    “They tell me I’m ‘amazing.’ I’m an ‘inspiration.’ I’m a ‘hero’ and a ‘role model.’ ‘Don’t give up. Keep this going. You made a difference,’” Jahmel Binion said of the support he garnered from his Hug Don’t Judge page. He said despite initially feeling humiliated by Shaquille O’Neal and his selfie, he knows that he is “blessed”.

    “I wasn’t supposed to live past five-years-old so everyday I wake up, I’m blessed,” he said.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhukLhQZu90

    Apparently Shaquille O’Neal’s apology wasn’t good enough after all. Binion is suing Shaq, saying he caused “emotional distress, invaded his privacy and defamed” him.

    “[The Photos] constituted a public disclosure of embarrassing private facts about the plaintiff [and] placed him in a false light in the public eye,” the lawsuit against Shaquille O’Neal states.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4LKepphE0k

    Though he seemed to accept the apologies from Shaquille O’Neal and even seemed to enjoy some jovial back-and-forth, he said he feels the apology wasn’t genuine. He said he later came to realize that, “When they said sorry, I felt like they were saying it to get the pressure off of them for being considered ‘bad people’.”

    What do you think of Jahmel Binion’s sudden change of heart toward Shaquille O’Neal?

    Image via YouTube

  • Shaquille O’Neal Apologizes, Victim Starts Movement

    Shaquille O’Neal had to eat some serious crow after posting an offensive photo on Instagram of himself mocking a man with a disability.

    The offended, 23-year-old Jahmel Binion, suffers from ectodermal dysplasia, a rare genetic condition that affects his hair and teeth and also prevents him from sweating. So, if he gets overheated and can’t cool himself down, he could faint or have heat stroke.

    Binion, who began a positive online anti-bullying and awareness Facebook campaign called Hug Dont Judge, received apologies from O’Neal as well as from rapper Waka Flocka for posting the pictures to Instagram.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQOw1kltFvM
    Seriously, who does this?

    The basketball star/ rapper apologized to Binion and in turn, made a friend. And hopefully learned a little something.

    Waka Flocka posted this tweet as his mea culpa for Binion:

    But was it enough to make up for a highly offensive and exeedingly inappropriate act?

    “I accepted the apologies,” Binion told the Detroit Free Press. “But I think they should do something more public. … I’m not alone.”

    So will Shaq do things a little more publicly or perhaps let it blow over? Well, one thing that isn’t blowing over soon is Binion’s Facebook page and the Hug Don’t Judge movement. The page, nearing 18,000 members at the last check, has exploded in popularity.

    People from around the world who feel different and left out because of disabilities, as well as mothers and friends of those affected by diseases that make a person stand out, have flocked to the page to send “hugs” to those who suffer discrimination with messages of encouragement.

    It seems a lot of good has come out of Shaq putting his foot in his mouth!

    Image via YouTube

  • Shaquille O’Neal Apologizes for Mocking Disabled Man

    And the insensitivity award goes to … Shaquille O’Neal.

    The former NBA star mocked a Michigan man with a rare disease on his Instagram page the other day, but apologized about it on Twitter.

    O’Neal posted a picture of himself making a face to imitate 23-year-old Jahmel Binion who suffers from ectodermal dysplasia. This type of disability can cause abnormalities with the teeth, sweat glands, hair, face and nails. Binion is unable to sweat and has to spend most of the summer in places that have air conditioning.

    Binion posted a screen shot Monday of the photo of O’Neal mocking him.

    “I was confused,” Binion said of his first reaction to Shaq’s insult. “I was thinking ‘Man, he’s supposed to be this role model, someone everyone is supposed to look up to.’ If Shaq does something like this, then (everyone who follows him) will think ‘We should do this.’”

    The National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasia wrote an open letter to O’Neal that encouraged the former basketball star to learn about the disease and stressed its support of Binion.

    O’Neal called Binion to apologize for his behavior, according to the athlete’s post on Twitter and Binion’s post on Facebook.

    “Shaq contacted me and apologized for his actions,” Binion wrote on Facebook. “He now understands that his actions were wrong and not only did they hurt me but my entire NEED family.”

    Binion created an anti-bullying Facebook campaign called Hug Don’t Judge, which gained an outpouring of support over the last few days. He hopes O’Neal will support his campaign.

    Here’s what Twitter said about Shaq’s actions:

    Binion will share his story in an MLive.com live chat this afternoon to educate others about the rare disease in which he suffers.

    “It feels like I’m not alone,” Binion said. “People are supporting my side of the story.”

    Image via YouTube