‘Black Spartans’ Film Tacked By Michigan State University Over Depiction Of Iconic Football Team

deadline.com:

EXCLUSIVE: Michigan State University wants nothing to do with Ben Cory Jones’ film about the school’s legendary Black Spartans football team.“Please be advised that the University will not partner with you or Black Spartans Productions on this project,” wrote Brian Quinn, MSU VP of Legal Affairs and General Counsel, to Black Spartans producer Rochelle Claerbaut on September 26. “Nor does the University consent to this project.

Additionally, the University is hereby providing notice that you, Black Spartan Productions, and any other person or entity associated with the project must not infringe upon any of the University’s intellectual property,” added Quinn in an email obtained by Deadline (see full email below)Quinn’s correspondence was in reply to a September 14 email from Claerbaut seeking to link up with MSU on the project.

The email from the producer and daughter of Duffy Daugherty: A Man Ahead of His Time author David Claerbaut was sent the day after various surviving members and relatives of the beloved 1966 college co-championship team sent a cease-and-desist letter to director-writer Jones, producer James Velissaris and his various aliases, as well as actors J.

Alphonse Nicholson, Neal McDonough (who also is a producer) and others.Oddly enough, Claerbuat’s September 14 email to MSU referred to Black Spartans being in pre-production, when in fact the film started filming in around Atlanta on September 12 – as Jones has made clear in several social media posts.Depicting the Daugherty-coached Michigan State Spartans of the mid-1960s, Black Spartans the movie is based in part on David Claerbaut’s 2018 book.