Recently news broke that O’Shea Jackson Jr. landed the role as famed Major League Baseball Player, Dock Ellis. Fans of Ellis were excited to hear that his story was coming to the big screen through Ice Cube’s Cube Vision Company.
However, some family members claim that they have no involvement in the upcoming film. Dock Ellis’ adoptive daughter, Jasmine Lee exclusively expressed to The Shade Room her family’s disapproval of the film. She claims they have not been contacted for their input.
“It’s truly sad that Ice Cube (Cube Visions) would not want to reach out to his widow nor communicate with us for our blessing,” Lee said. “My father was a great man, strong and very caring, helping addicts and inmates was more of a passion to him then baseball any day.”
She continued, “My mother and I have remained silent with hopes and prayers that things would be done correctly and at this point it has been nothing but disrespect from so many people. The same way Ice Cube wants too see his son be successful, we just want to see my father honored respectfully and appropriately. His fans deserve the entire story.”
However, Lee revealed if there is any family memeber that has some involvement with the project, it would be Ellis’ son Dock Ellis III, who is also known as Trey.
According to Lee, Trey allegedly didn’t have much of a relationship with Ellis prior to his death in 2008.
“He knew nothing about what our father did with his life after baseball, which is far more important and the part of the story that our father would want to be told,” said Lee.
She also fears that her brothers input would exclude certain aspects. “Even if they did use the story that he gave, he’s leaving out our sisters, myself, and my mom, his widow. My mom buried my dad. His friends or the MLB did absolutely nothing.”
When it comes to why Lee and her family have decided to speak out against the film, she said, “We are speaking out now because we have been silent for years. There has been documentaries, restaurants, clothing lines and other things done to capitalize off of my father’s name.”
She continued, “Not once has anyone contacted my mother to show respect, ask permission, or donate to his foundation, The Dock Ellis Foundation, Inc.”
Lee ended things by saying “it’s time for the truth to come out and my father and mother get the respect that they both deserve.”
“We haven’t given permission to anybody to use his name or story,” added. “We, respectfully, have the rights to his name and feel as though a conversation should be in place with Hjordis Ellis (Ellis’ widow) and myself.”
TSR STAFF: Jade Ashley @Jade Ashley94 on IG
