What's the story?
WWE officials have released an official statement in response to a situation that occurred during the ‘MizTV’ segment of this week's Monday Night Raw.
In case you didn't know...
LaVar Ball is a retired American football player residing in Chino Hills, California. Ball’s oldest son is Lonzo Ball, current point guard and first-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Lakers.
His youngest son, LaMelo Ball, is 15 years old and is currently a junior at Chino Hills High School, where he is regarded as one of the top high school players in America. In fact, LaMelo already has a scholarship offer to attend UCLA.
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The heart of the matter
WWE officials have stated that the entire MizTV segment was designed to promote the Ball family's ‘Big Baller Brand’ apparel. During one portion of the segment when LaVar and The Miz were taking verbal jabs at each other, Ball’s 15-year-old son LaMelo can be heard saying “beat that n**ga ass... beat that n**ga ass!”
In light of the racial slurs that were used by 15-year-old LaMelo, WWE released the following statement:
“The inappropriate language used by a guest during a ‘MizTV’ segment was not scripted nor reflects WWE’s values.”
What's next?
WWE Monday Night RAW’s Superstars are gearing up for the upcoming Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view. This will mark the first year of the event and while The Miz is not currently booked for the event, it is very likely that he will be defending his Intercontinental Championship against Dean Ambrose.
Author's take
WWE did the right thing by getting ahead of this situation before risking it being turned into something much more controversial than it actually is. No 15 year old, or anyone for that matter, should come on live television, where there are multiple live microphones running all at once, picking up every word you say.
Hopefully, the young man will be able to learn from this mistake moving forward and carry himself more respectfully when he finds himself in this type of situation.
