New York Times defamed ex-college basketball player Kai Spears, must pay him $9.25 million in damages, jury says | CBS/AP

An Alabama jury awarded $9.25 million in damages after finding that The New York Times defamed a former college basketball player, Kai Spears, of the Alabama Crimson Tide, in a story about a fatal shooting. https://t.co/hpH0szeDL5

— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 21, 2026

Former Alabama men's basketball walk-on Kai Spears won a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, which incorrectly linked him to a murder scene https://t.co/7rNsj1zCQC

— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) August 21, 2026