Report: Alosi had previously been unhappy with Combs’ absence
Apparent discontent with Justin Combs’ absence at team workouts was reportedly nothing new at UCLA.
According to TMZ, UCLA strength coach Sal Alosi previously used the son of P. Diddy missing workouts as an example to the team.
Sources connected to UCLA’s football program tell TMZ Sports … the humiliating incident went down in February. Coach Sal Alosi had several players in the the gym for a training sesh, which Justin missed because he was at the NBA All-Star game.
We’re told Alosi openly mocked Justin by putting a pic of him at the game — next to Diddy and Ben Stiller … in all the gym monitors. We’re told Alosi told players … “While you guys are training, this guy is sitting courtside with his dad.” The pic remained up for 24 hours.
The incident between P. Diddy and Alosi and the rest of the UCLA coaching staff last week came after Combs was kicked out of a workout session being led by Alosi. According to former UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel, Combs had missed earlier workouts and told Alosi that he was working with Diddy’s trainer.
Following Combs’ removal from practice, Diddy and Combs went to Alosi’s office. In the ensuing kerfuffle, Diddy allegedly picked up a kettlebell and threatened a member of UCLA’s staff. He’s been charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of making terrorist threats and one count of battery.
A spokesperson for Diddy has said the rapper was acting in self-defense. UCLA coach Jim Mora has commended his staff for the way they handled the situation.
UCLA coaches reportedly don’t want the charges to go ahead. Diddy is currently set to appear in court in two weeks.
TMZ also says “Diddy sources” say that Alosi carried on a campaign of “psychological warfare” throughout Combs’ time with the team. That may be a bit of an overstatement in a case like this. While team offseason workouts may not be officially mandatory, team strength training sessions are strongly encouraged by coaching staffs. If you’ve ever played team sports at a high level, this is made clear.
And we’re thinking it was made clear to members of UCLA’s team. We understand why Combs would want to enjoy the perks of being the son of a high-profile celebrity. However, it’s entirely unsurprising that his absence would be used as motivation to the rest of the team, especially if he was missing workouts. And it shouldn’t have been surprising to Combs either.
Given what continues to be reported in all of this drama and his role within the team, it’s hard to see Combs playing for UCLA in 2015.
For more UCLA news, visit BruinSportsReport.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
