NEW YORK (AP) — Federal investigators no longer consider NBA free agent Malik Beasley a target in their gambling probe, Beasley's attorneys told ESPN.
Attorneys Steve Haney and Mike Schachter said they've had what the report called “extensive” conversations and meetings with Eastern District of New York authorities.
“Months after this investigation commenced, Malik remains uncharged and is not the target of this investigation,” Haney told ESPN. “An allegation with no charge, indictment or conviction should never have the catastrophic consequence this has caused Malik. This has literally been the opposite of the presumption of innocence.”
Lawyers for Beasley didn’t immediately respond to emails and phone calls from The Associated Press seeking comment, and the U.S. Attorney’s office in Brooklyn declined to comment.
The AP reported in late June that Beasley was under investigation, coming 14 months after the NBA banned Toronto's Jontay Porter after he was linked to a prop-bet investigation. Porter eventually pleaded guilty to committing wire fraud.
Beasley's ties to the investigation were particularly ill-timed considering he joined the Pistons last year on a one-year, $6 million deal in hopes of cashing in this summer as a free agent. He went on to become just the fifth player in NBA history to make at least 300 3-pointers (a franchise-record 319) in a season while averaging 16.3 points for a playoff team.
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FILE - Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley (5) celebrates after scoring against the New York Knicks during the first half of Game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson, File)
David Linde, the former chairman of Universal Pictures and CEO of Participant Media, has been named CEO of the Sundance Institute. The nonprofit organization said Thursday that Linde will assume the role on Feb. 17, after this year’s festival concludes.
“I am honored to join Sundance Institute as CEO to steward an organization that is essential to independent artists, the broader creative community, and culture at large,” Linde said in a statement.
His role will include overseeing the Sundance Film Festival’s transition to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027, as well as managing the year-round Sundance Institute programs, including artist labs, grants and fellowships.
A Hollywood veteran, Linde has worked across television and film for decades, cofounding Focus Features and overseeing numerous Oscar nominees and winners in his various roles. During Linde’s time at Participant, which shuttered in 2024, the company produced two best picture winners: “Spotlight” and “Green Book.” He also produced “Arrival.”
Sundance has been operating under an interim CEO, Amanda Kelso, since early 2024 when Joana Vicente stepped down. Vicente had replaced Keri Putnam in 2021. The Institute’s most high-profile event, the annual Sundance Film Festival, is gearing up for its last edition in Park City, Utah which will kick off next week.
Ebs Burnough, board chair of the Sundance Institute, said in a statement that, “David brings a rare combination of industry fluency, social cause management, and deep commitment to artists, positioning the organization to build on our legacy while advancing our mission for the future.”
FILE - David Linde appears at the American Cinematheque Awards in Los Angeles on Nov. 18, 2021. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
