Jaylen Brown rejects Beverly Hills’ apology after event shutdown

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown is not satisfied with the apology he received Thursday from the city of Beverly Hills, days after police broke up an event he was hosting in the Trousdale Estates neighborhood.

The apology was not intended to interrupt the event. Instead, it involved including what the city called “inaccurate information” in its initial statement about the event.

Brown told ESPN’s Andscape that he was considering legal action against the city after it “embarrassed my brand and my team” and then continued “to tell untruths in [its] statement of apology.

The promotional event for Brown’s performance brand, 741, took place last weekend at the home of Oakley founder Jim Jannard on the eve of the NBA All-Star Game at the Intuit Dome. It was planned to include a panel discussion featuring the National Basketball Players Assn. President Andre Iguodala followed by an after-party with approximately 200 guests.

In an X post after his event was shut down, Brown wrote: “300,000 in the trash.” On Thursday, in response to the city’s statement, Brown wrote on »

The Times contacted the city of Beverly Hills on Friday for a response to Brown’s comments regarding the incident, including his mention of possible legal action. A representative referred The Times to the statement released the day before.

The city’s first statement, released Sunday, said that “an event permit was requested and denied by the city due to prior violations associated with events at the address” and that “organizers still chose to proceed with inviting hundreds of guests knowing it was not permitted to take place.”

On Thursday, the city issued a second statement saying that after further internal review, it had determined that “no permit applications were submitted or denied for the event and the residence had no prior violations related to this event.”

The release included a statement from City Manager Nancy Hunt-Coffey, who apologized for the inaccurate information but said the city still had reason to shut down the event.

“The City’s previous statement regarding the weekend event at Trousdale House was inaccurate, and on behalf of the City, I would like to apologize to Jaylen Brown and the Jannard family,” Hunt-Coffey said.

“The City has a responsibility to its residents and neighborhoods to ensure compliance with the regulations established for events held at private residences. These are designed to ensure the safety and well-being of neighbors and participants. City staff observed circumstances that are considered violations of City code and for that reason alone, the event was terminated.”

Brown was far from satisfied with the apology.

“The city has now stated that the event was stopped because officials believed codes were being violated,” it said in a statement released by Jalen Brown Enterprises Inc. “A private gathering cannot legally be stopped based on assumptions alone, especially when no official ever entered the residence to observe conditions or verify an alleged violation.

“This was an invitation-only private gathering in a private home among friends and partners, not a public or commercial event requiring a permit. … No evidence of an alleged violation was ever presented to the owner, our team, or our legal counsel. Without observation, documentation, or confirmed violations, enforcement actions based solely on belief raise serious due process concerns.

“Jalen Brown Enterprises Inc. supports compliance with the law and cooperative engagement with municipalities wherever we operate. However, this private residential gathering was disrupted without cause, resulting in significant financial and reputational harm.”

“We remain open to a constructive resolution with the City of Beverly Hills.”

Brown had more to say on the subject after the Celtics’ 121-110 victory over the Golden State Warriors Thursday night in San Francisco.

“It’s All-Star weekend at 7 p.m. I just wanted to have fun. And I feel like that was taken away from me and I was embarrassed to a certain extent,” said Brown, who was named an All-Star starter for the first time this year. He added: “I feel like that apology, you know, even in the statement that they put out, they included things that weren’t true, even in the apology. So I don’t think that that apology was acceptable.

“I lost a lot of money…and then people made assumptions, like we didn’t follow proper protocols. So it’s just a bad image, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I’m extremely offended. My team is still offended. I’m not sure what the conclusion is. All I know is it was bullshit…”

Brown said he heard about City’s latest statement on his way to the game and that it fueled his third triple-double of the season (23 points, 15 rebounds, 13 assists).

“I wasn’t even thinking about the game,” said Brown, who will be back in Los Angeles when the Celtics play the Lakers on Sunday. “I was pissed. I was still pissed.”