Sean “Diddy” Combs’ arrest on an assault with a deadly weapon charge set Twitter alight Monday night with jokes about kettlebells and the rapper being a “Bad Boy For Life.”
But the reported details of Combs’ run-in with UCLA football staffers are anything but funny.
TMZ Sports, which broke news of the arrest, cited UCLA sources in reporting that Combs confronted Sal Alosi, the Bruins’ strength and conditioning coach. Alosi was on the phone and told Combs to wait, but the rapper refused, picked up a kettlebell and swung it at the coach.
Shortly after, sources close to Combs told TMZ Sports the rapper acted in self defense. According to those sources, Combs wanted to speak with Alosi, who had been “riding” the hip hop mogul’s son, Bruins defensive back Justin Combs. Alosi refused to talk with Sean Combs about it, according to the sources, and said he’d call security. Combs responded that he’d call police, and Alosi responded by attacking the rapper, who held the kettlebell “in a defensive position,” the sources contend.
Bruin Report Online later chimed in with its own sources, who were less favorable to Combs. Those sources said Justin Combs had missed some workouts and was slacking Monday, so Alosi kicked him out. Around noon, father and son went to Alosi’s office, and Sean Combs hurled expletives at the coach, who told department interns to call security. That’s when the issue of whom attacked whom gets dicey.
“A still incensed Diddy then came around Alosi’s desk, saying that he would get campus security on Alosi’s desk phone,” Bruin Report Online wrote. “Alosi, then, according to witnesses, put up his hand in a non-threatening way, and instructed Combs to get his father out of the office. Diddy then walked into Alosi’s hand, and told Alosi not to put his hands on him.”
Bruin Report Online cited “many on the scene” in reporting Sean Combs attacked Alosi and had to be pulled off the coach, who suffered facial lacerations and had a ripped shirt. Staffers took Combs out of the football office and into the weight room, where Diddy swung a kettlebell at an intern.
Who’s at fault in the whole mess might be settled by video, which UCLA police watched before arresting Combs. As they say in football, the eye in the sky don’t lie, and if Combs indeed attacked Alosi, we’ll all know once the video is made public.
Combs is in Los Angeles County jail on $160,000 bail, USA TODAY confirmed.
UPDATE (7:55 a.m.):Â Combs was released from jail late Monday night after posting $50,000 bail, according to sheriff’s officials. The reason for the discrepancy between that figure and his initial $160,000 bail wasn’t made clear.
Inside photo via Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports Images
