BREAKING: Documents show NBA player coerced pregnant girlfriend to abort
Yesterday, MediaTakeOut.com released an abortion contract dating back to 2007 between NBA player J. J. Redick and then-girlfriend Vanessa Lopez.
I’ve had this and other documents related to that abortion for the better part of two weeks but out of concern for Vanessa wanted to make contact with her before going public.
This morning I spoke to a knowledgeable source close to Vanessa, to whom she gave permission to speak to me. Neither Redick’s attorney, agent, or wealth manager have immediately responded to my request for comment.
The contract between Redick and Vanessa is bizarre, outlining an agreement for Lopez to receive $25,000 in return for aborting a baby Redick denied was his if Redick broke off the relationship after her abortion. In addition, once Lopez showed proof she had gotten the abortion, Redick agreed to “maintain a social and/or dating relationship” with her for one year – unless either he or she decided to break it off. Like I said, bizarre.
At the time Redick was 23 years old and a rookie with the Orlando Magic. He now plays for the Los Angeles Clippers. Lopez was 28 and a model.
The contract was signed the morning of September 13, 2007, mere hours before Lopez got her abortion at All Women’s Health Center in Orlando, Florida. In fact, her source told me she had already taken her pre-op Valium when she signed it. I have all the abortion documents, which out of respect for Vanessa I will not post, except this section (click all images to enlarge):
Despite the fact Lopez felt “forced into” the abortion, abortionist Harry Perper, infamous in the pro-life community, went through with it. Lopez was estimated to be between 16-17 weeks along, and since the abortion was started and finished the same day, the second trimester procedure was a D&E. It cost $1,150.
Redick, his attorney, Gregory McNeil, and his wealth manager, Jeff Silverman, knew the contract was a “charade,” and they were crass and sexist about it, particularly given the subject. Emails between them the afternoon before Lopez’s abortion:
The afternoon the abortion was completed, McNeill pushed to get confirmation from Lopez, showing her no regard….
It was at this point things soured. Vanessa never tried to collect the $25,000, and she never heard from Redick again.
Why did Lopez get the abortion? My source: “She got the abortion to save the relationship. She was fairly young, fairly immature, and clearly in love. I do believe she was manipulated by Redick. She told me she wanted to have this baby but he was adamant in his opposition. She thought if she did what he wanted her to do, he would continue the relationship with her. What self-respecting person would sign such a document? My sense is she was simply operating in an emotional state that precluded her from acting rationally. She had no attorney. She hoped somehow, some way that doing what he wanted her to do would benefit her in the long run.”
Sadly, that did not come to pass. Vanessa began to experience symptoms of post-abortion stress syndrome. She sought professional help. From a September 2008 letter to the court (more on that below) from her doctor:
How I came by these documents takes us a bit into the weeds.
Before she started dating Redick, Lopez had an affair with another NBA player, Shaquille O’Neal, while he was married, in 2004.
Long story short, after that relationship deteriorated, Lopez filed a lawsuit against O’Neal for harassment. His attorneys proceeded to portray Lopez as a serial athlete chaser and gold digger who lacked credibility. Part of that strategy was to introduce evidence of past interactions Vanessa had with other athletes, including Redick. They said she lied about her pregnancy to exploit her relationship with Redick.
Lopez’s legal team admitted sealed abortion documents into evidence to prove that she wasn’t lying. Someone either leaked the information, or a court clerk inadvertently released it to TMZ, and perhaps others. I got the documents from a pro-life source in Florida.
There is more to the O’Neal story involving attorney Gloria Allred, but it takes us too far off topic.
“There is no question she has made unwise choices in her life and that she has been opportunistic to some degree and quite selfish in her decision making,” her source honestly told me. “Having said that, I have reached the conclusion that every statement she has made regarding her complaint about O’Neal is factual.”
Lopez never intended for the abortion episode to go public. “Vanessa’s principle desire is to put this in the past,” concluded her source. “To that end I know she would appreciate acknowledgement from Redick and his camp for their cruel treatment of her at a vulnerable time and an apology.”
In conclusion, I’ll once again say: Abortion exploits and hurts women.
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
You didn’t blur out Vanessa’s email, fyi.
Both these parents are immature. It was their kid who paid for it.
Jill asked me to pass on her sincere thanks for pointing that out, CatholicMouse! We appreciate your help.
Oh my heart hurts thinking what that fully-formed, feeling baby went through because his mommy and daddy were so selfish! That poor, innocent child…suffered having his arms and legs ripped off and his skull crushed while he was still alive just because daddy wanted to fornicate but not man up and take care of his child and because his mommy didn’t fight for his life and do more for her child.
Was she truly coerced? Does this count as coercion? I had friends who were told they’d be homeless if they didn’t abort. I know coercion happens but I feel like this woman could have kept that baby, could have reached out for help, could have FOUGHT for the life of her child. But she didn’t value the life of her child enough. It just makes me feel…dead. I’m so tired of this happening over and over and over. When will our society have had enough of this blood?
Who wants to organize a protest at the first game of the Los Angeles Clippers 2013-14 season? It’d be hard for me to do from Florida, but I can publicize it.
I think it would be a good opportunity for us to show that the pro-life movement isn’t “anti-women” or “just interested in shaming women.” No one should be shamed on account of their sex. Some people should, however, be shamed on account of their behavior, and Mr. Redick is clearly one of those people.
FYI, I just looked it up and the schedule is going to be released on Friday.
This is a horrible story, and I grieve for the child’s loss. However, it’s difficult to feel sorry for Vanessa Lopez. I can’t agree with your source’s comment excusing Lopez as, “fairly young, fairly immature, and clearly in love.” She was 28 years old — five years older than Redick, who was just out of college. And she took up with him AFTER she’d had an affair with then-married Shaquille O’Neal? She needs to take a look at herself and the series of bad choices that SHE made.
I like this new hybrid right-wing fringe politics/celebrity gossip blog format you’re testing here.
If the above document read “How do you feel about rhinoplasty” or “breast augmentation” or “lipsuction” or “sexual reassignment” and had the exact some of the same items circled, there actually exist some doctors who would refrain from beginning such a procedure. But in the abortion industry, even circling “mixed feelings” and “forced into it” won’t delay or prevent the procedure from being started. Feminists love to cry “No means no!” except in the case of abortion where “no” or “maybe” means “let’s get that abortion started right away!” Hypocrisy.
“Was she truly coerced? Does this count as coercion?”
I don’t consider it coercion. They both bear the same amount of responsibility. He’s a slimeball and I like the idea of picketing his game. But she was a grown woman who could make her own decisions, so it’s not like she’s a blameless victim. I really feel bad for the kid that died because of these people.
oops, couldn’t edit. “had some of the exact same items circled..” is what I meant.
I get that this is a site motivated by a cause, and I completely respect that, but it’s stuff like this story that makes real journalists hate bloggers.
I lost it where Stanek says, “her source told me honestly.”
Oh, OK. I don’t need any facts, I just need an anonymous source and the writer of the article to reassure me that a person (who she likely has no real idea if he/she is honest or not) is being truthful.
This is a sad and bizarre story but I’m going to wait to pass judgement until some real facts come out of these leaked documents (context, on-the-record sources, interviews with the people actually involved, etc.).
Sad for all involved, Let us not forget the hormones that this woman was battling with and the fact that she felt coerced. The fact is that the baby died …
what a sad story. I appreciate my 2 daughters even more after reading this.
She may not have been physically threatened, but sounded like the LAWYERED UP BOYFRIEND and/or his Lawyer(s) could push her into this…all in a smooth way with (as the Edwardians said “clean hands and clean linen”).
Surrounded by a few stern males…and maybe thinking he actually did like her…So sad!
And what’s his excuse? He could have supported the child!!!
Mike Larson, maybe if the lamestream media did its job, blogs would be slightly less popular. As it is, we like going to various outlets to see what folks are talking about. As long as the LSM is acting as the ‘white house stenography pool’ then new media will continue to grow in readership.
Kel – I just saw your reply. You’re welcome :)
Ninek- I’ve got no problem with new media when it is done professionally and accurately. In fact, I embrace it on both sides of the political spectrum. My issues stem from politically motivated writers serving up anonymous sources and conjecture as fact. I guess I don’t see any difference between that kind of reporting and that of your “Lame Stream Media.”
Really? Then maybe you need to write some comments to them as well. All the big news outlets have a comments section after their articles. While you’re at it, ask them why Wendy’s pink sneakers are more newsworthy than Kermit Gosnell’s fetus foot collection.
PS I checked out your blog, it’s very nicely done! Sorry if I come across snarky, but blogs and news outlets are different. Except the media doesn’t seem to see what you and I see. ABC, MSNBC, and many others are publishing articles not even as researched as a blog I might write off the top of my head.
“My issues stem from politically motivated writers serving up anonymous source”
I don’t think it’s wrong to use anonymous sources, it’s been a common thing in journalism for centuries. How could the Watergate scandal been blown open without Deep Throat? It does mean the reader should use caution when deciding whether to trust the material or not, but it’s not an uncommon thing. That’s why journalists (and bloggers) should use integrity. Sadly with all the media scandals it’s hard to trust journalists now.
Mike,
In retrospect I should have used “frankly,” not “honestly.” And, as Jack says, journalists use unnamed sources all the time. I also cut and pasted the actual emails and documents rather than quoted from them. I got as far from hearsay as I could. And I reached out to three of J. J. Redick’s people for comment and still have not gotten a response.
I can’t imagine that TMZ/MediaTakeOut.com didn’t get all the same documents I got. Yet, they only reported on the weird contract – talk about no context.
Thanks.
The baby died, which is the worst part of this whole thing. It doesn’t seem to me that this mother had much regard for her own life, either, given her lifestyle choices. Hopefully the treatment she is receiving will help her heal and draw close to God, and perhaps her story will help other young women make better choices.
Mike – As I read it, a third party representing one of the key subjects of the story is expressing a sincerely held opinion regarding facts in the O’Neal case. The only fact I saw being presented by Jill was Lopez having the affair with O’Neal. I’m unfamiliar with that, but I don’t have any reason to doubt that a public suit has been filed. As to any one’s opinions or assertions, the truthfulness of such claims require more substantial evidence than mere claims.
I remember watching this guy when Orlando played the Celtics, he could shoot the lights out. That being said, screw him and his attorneys…
Notice that one of the reasons she checked for having the abortion was that she was not married. As a society we need to stop the left from encouraging our girls and young women to have sex with men they are not married to. If we could just teach that alone it would prevent a whole lotta society’s ills. There would certainly be no reason to ever enter into such a hedonistic pre-nup. I hope Vanessa finds Rachel’s Vineyard.
Very ugly bloody story. I’m glad it came to light. That poor little baby! It appears that the infant was slain at James Scott Pendergraft’s Orlando Women’s Center killing place, not All Women’s, as reported. Harry Zvi Perper is one of his hired henchman. It appears he slaughtered the child.
Remember a few weeks ago, when the pro-life bloggosphere got into a tizzy about a blogger saying something stupid about a woman being “coerced” into giving birth to a child with Down Syndrome? Well, this is the same thing from the other side.
Despite the fact Lopez felt “forced into” the abortion, abortionist Harry Perper, infamous in the pro-life community, went through with it.
She also said that she felt “okay” and “certain” about the abortion, which she thought was “necessary.” It’s profoundly condescending to claim that a woman with “mixed feelings” must be presumed to be incapable of making a decision.
Lopez was estimated to be between 16-17 weeks along, and since the abortion was started and finished the same day, the second trimester procedure was a D&E. It cost $1,150.
The website you linked actually said that D&Es are two day procedures, not ones “started and finished the same day.” I mention this only because this site apparently has pretensions to journalism now, and journalists like to get things right. The e-mail says that she stayed overnight, indicating a two-day procedure, but the website also says that two-day procedures are done after 20 weeks. So, that is unclear.
Redick, his attorney, Gregory McNeil, and his wealth manager, Jeff Silverman, knew the contract was a “charade,”
Actually, McNeil said the relationship was a charade, which is hard to argue with. And it’s hard to believe a 28 year old wouldn’t understand that.
a court clerk inadvertently released it to TMZ,
It is very unlikely that a court clerk “accidentally” released something to a gossip website.
And not to rain on anyone’s parade here, but you’ll notice that the second e-mail said that “If she’s still thinking six figures, there’s no reason for her to come.” Translation: she offered to have an abortion for at least a hundred grand, and when she was told to go ahead and have the baby, she settled for 25K and a fake relationship. That’s really not the picture of “coercion.”
Addendum:
This article is wrong to say that the contract was “an agreement for Lopez to receive $25,000 in return for abortion a baby Redick denied was his.” The contract was actually for him to pay $25,000 if he broke off the relationship within a year. So RE my earlier comment: it’s not clear whether she asked for a hundred grand to have the abortion, or for a hundred grand if the relationship ended early.
Since when is being pro-woman = hybrid right-wing fringe politics/celebrity gossip? Is being ‘pro-woman’ slipping onto the Republican banner. The republican banner was traditionally 100% pro-life until the last election. So they were always pro-women, since obviously P.A.S. is a severe form of PTSD caused by all the responsible parties forfeiting or defualting in their trust in the women who trusted in them. It’s as is the nation went to war, and instead of fighting the enemy country, we just sacrificed our women and children in exchange for neutrality. But you can’t well out your nation without first selling out your women and children. I hope Redick is thoroughly called out on his actions. A protest would be fantastic, but please go with a camera.
They’re both pretty nasty pieces of work. Tragic that the baby had to pay for it.