Malik Beasley faces multimillion-dollar lawsuit, too

Pistons guard Malik Beasley has legal issues beyond the pending criminal investigation regarding gambling.

Via Jacob Richman of MLive.com, Beasley was sued in April by Hazan Sports Management Group. The civil complaint seeks more than $2 million in damages and attorneys’ fees for an alleged breach of contract.

The lawsuit, filed in April 2025, claims that the firm “elected to take a chance and make a substantial investment of time, effort, and resources in a player with known issues (including and especially financial issues)” when retaining Beasley as a client in November 2023. The criminal gambling investigation reportedly centers on games played in January 2024.

The firm allegedly gave Beasley a $650,000 advance, which often is known as a marketing guarantee. The firm receives repayment as the player generates off-field income.

But Beasley allegedly hired a new marketing firm after 15 months, in violation of the terms of his deal with Hazan Sports Management Group.

Beasley had been closing in on a new, three-year deal with the Pistons. Negotiations have been paused given the news of the criminal probe.

And, yes, we know this isn’t a football story. But gambling scandals in sport are, or should be, of significant concern to anyone who worries that the NFL could eventually face something similar. It’s somewhat surprising it hasn’t happened yet.

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