Exclusive
Ben Simmons was NOT racially profiled or denied entry from a famous casino in Australia on Monday … this according to a rep for the Crown Casino in Melbourne.
Remember, the 23-year-old NBA superstar — who was raised in Australia — made a video with several fellow men of color claiming they were hassled by casino security and ultimately denied entry because of their race.
“They didn’t let me in, or him or this guy. Wow, we got a long way to go,” Simmons said while showing the Crown Casino security members who allegedly shut them down.
But now, a Crown spokeswoman says Simmons is simply not telling the truth — and she’s providing an explanation.
“Crown strenuously rejects reports that it discriminated against a group of visitors last night,” the statement said.
“Crown’s internal security policy requires our security officers to check identification of those persons they believe to be under the age of 25, this is an enhanced safeguard to ensure that no one under the age of 18 is permitted entry to the Casino Floor as required by Law.”
“The group subsequently provided identification and were permitted entry. Crown is an inclusive workplace.”
Crown’s story is completely different than Ben’s — with the biggest part being they claim they ALLOWED Ben and his friends to enter the casino.
Meanwhile, Simmons has doubled down on his racism claims — saying in a new statement Tuesday morning, “As you know an incident happened last night at Crown and my friends and I felt personally singled out.”
He added, “No one likes to feel like this. I am very passionate about equality and I will always speak up even if it means having uncomfortable conversations.”
So, what really went down? We have a feeling this ain’t over by a long shot.