The Early Word: Letter alleges NCAA violations; remembering Chef Kramer

Bianca Phillips By , Daily Memphian
Updated: September 05, 2024 6:16 AM CT | Published: September 05, 2024 6:16 AM CT Premium

Good morning, Memphis. It’s Thursday, Sept. 5, and Collierville may be getting caffeinated. The suburb’s Planning Commission will consider a proposal for the Memphis area’s first Dutch Bros coffee chain today.

Down in Victorian Village, the neighborhood CDC is asking for public input on how to better utilize the area’s football-field-sized city park. They’re hosting a meeting tonight with music and drinks. You could go to that, or you could put on some soft pants and curl up on the couch for “Fight Night,” the new Craig Brewer-produced Peacock TV series with Kevin Hart, Samuel L. Jackson and Taraji P. Henson. Pass the popcorn.

Whew, it’s been a week for the Memphis Tigers basketball program. Following Tuesday’s news that Coach Penny Hardaway made major changes to his coaching staff, we learned on Wednesday that an anonymous letter was sent to the NCAA alleging widespread rules violations by the Tigers team. Among those: paying someone else to do players’ homework and big payouts for player commitments. It’s not clear if the allegations are tied to Hardaway’s decision to let go of coaching staffers Rick Stansbury, Faragi Phillips, Jamie Rosser and Demetrius Dyson. Our own Geoff Calkins thinks the firings are pretty dramatic and dubbed the day they were let go as “Black Tuesday.” But turnover seems to be common on Hardaway’s staff, and we’ve got a look at everyone who’s ever worked under him and what happened to them.

“[Jackson Kramer] was an influencer before TikTok, a culinary leader and an inspiration to many young talents ...” said Stephen Hassinger, former restaurateur.

Hassinger and other friends and colleagues remembered chef and restaurateur Jackson Kramer, who died on Monday at age 44 after four cancer battles. Kramer became the chef at Interim at age 28 and later went on to open Bounty on Broad in 2014.

Plus, new University of Memphis athletic director Ed Scott is worried about ticket sales, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office wants big bucks for jail repairs and you’re one step closer to buying Beaver Nuggets in Fayette County. 

Topics

The Early Word Subscriber Only

Are you enjoying your subscription?  

Your subscription gives you unlimited access to all of The Daily Memphian’s news, written by nearly 40 local journalists and more than 20 regular freelancers. We work around the clock to cover the issues that impact your life and our community. 

You can help us reach more Memphians. 

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we provide free news access at K-12 schools, public libraries and many community organizations. We also reach tens of thousands of people through our podcasts, and through our radio and television partnerships – all completely free to everyone who cares about Memphis.  

When you subscribe, you get full access to our news. But when you donate, you help us reach all Memphians.  

Pay it forward. Make a fully tax-deductible donation to The Daily Memphian today. 

Thank you for reading the local news. Thank you for investing in our community. 

Bianca Phillips

Bianca Phillips

Bianca Phillips is a Northeast Arkansas native and longtime Memphian who’s worked in local journalism and PR for more than 20 years. In her days as a reporter, she covered everything from local government and crime to LGBTQ issues and the arts. She’s the author of “Cookin Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South,” a cookbook of vegan Southern recipes.


Comments

Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here