Who is Jay Linneman? Ohio bar owner refuses to show NBA games at Linne's Pub until LeBron James is 'expelled'
LeBron James tweeted (then deleted) a photo of the cop who shot Ma'Khia Bryant dead and suddenly he is the enemy of the internet. Now the owner of a Cincinnati, Ohio bar says that he won’t be airing another NBA game until Los Angles Lakers star LeBron James is "expelled" from the league. Owner Jay Linneman also apparently doesn't care much for mask mandates.
Taking to Facebook to post the announcement, Linne's Pub in Delhi Township made the statement on Wednesday, April 21. By then, four-time NBA champion James was criticized by many including Donald Trump for posting a tweet that has been accused of inciting violence against the Columbus police officer.
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"If anyone wants to watch an NBA game, don't come to Linnie's Pub," Jay Linneman, owner of Cincinnati's Linne's Pub, wrote on Facebook. "We will not air them until Lebron James has been expelled from the NBA."
Who is Jay Linneman?
The owner of Linne's Pub in Delhi Township Jay Linneman did not shy away from expressing his disagreement with the star basketball player.
He apparently also is of the belief that basketball players don't need to brandish their opinions everywhere — that their opinions don't matter. He actually put that statement into words when speaking to Cincinnati Enquirer: "They just need to play the game and that’s it," he said. "Their opinion doesn’t really matter. They’re using their position to push their opinions, and that’s just not right."
He also said that if a high-ranking government official of the likes of former President Donald Trump or President Joe Biden had made similar statements there would be calls for "impeachment".
Last year in July, during the most crucial stages of the coronavirus, Linneman spoke out against Governor Mike DeWine's mandatory mask ordinance saying, "We're okay with people wearing a mask. But we certainly can't police that."
While he said that he didn't want to force the mandate, if people weren't wearing it, he would assume they have valid medical reasons.
"It's deterring people from going to bars and restaurants. There's no exclusions written in this rule as of yesterday for someone to even take that mask off and lift a can of beer or a fork to their mouth," Linneman had said at the time. "And when you have a mandate that leads to possible jail time, these kinds of things need to be spelled out."
At the same time, he clarified to local publications that not enforcing the mandate applies only to customers and not his employees.
LeBron James' reaction
No sooner than James got to know there is a bar owner like Linneman who has barred the NBA games, he took to Twitter to share a sarcastic remark. "Aww Damn! I was headed there to watch our game tonight and have a drink! Welp."
Aww Damn! I was headed there to watch our game tonight and have a drink! Welp. 🥴 https://t.co/RRfRksjckM
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 24, 2021
James had previously tweeted an image of one of the officers at the scene of Bryant's shooting with the caption: "YOU’RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY".