Rapper Meek Mill rings bell at 76ers game after release from prison
Meek Mill is free.
The Philadelphia rapper’s legal team said Tuesday that Mill is set to be immediately released from prison after a ruling from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Mill, whose real name is Robert Williams, was incarcerated in November for violating the terms of his probation stemming from a 2009 incident. The probation violation resulted in a 2-4 year sentence, but his release was ordered Tuesday instead.
“We are thrilled that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has directed Judge Brinkley to immediately issue an order releasing Meek on bail,” lawyer Joe Tacopina said in a statement. “As we have said all along, Meek was unjustly convicted and should not have spent a single day in jail.”
Many in the sports world have rallied behind Mill since he returned to prison in November, including his hometown Philadelphia Eagles and 76ers. Before winning the Super Bowl in February, the Eagles ran out of the tunnel to Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares.” Several 76ers players visited Mill in prison and team co-owner Michael Rubin has been a major advocate for Mill’s release.
Rubin, along with comedian Kevin Hart (a Philadelphia native), was with the rapper on Tuesday, and Mill’s first Instagram post after news of his release emerged was a photo with Rubin and Hart from a previous game that contained a simple message: “Go Sixers.”
A post shared by Meek Mill (@meekmill) on Apr 24, 2018 at 12:59pm PDT
The Sixers were set to host the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the first round of the NBA playoffs on Tuesday night. Rubin said on social media that he was on his way to pick up Mill. They then headed straight to the Wells Fargo Center, where Mill rang the ceremonial pre-game bell (video up top).
Just spoke to Sixers co-owner Michael Rubin. He said it’s “more likely than not” Meek Mill will attend Game 5 tonight, and he’ll ring the ceremonial bell pre-game if he can get there in time.
— Daniel Victor (@bydanielvictor) April 24, 2018
Sixers star Joel Embiid is fired up about the news.
Michael Rubin, Sixers co-owner, said Joel Embiid called him and was “going crazy, dancing in bed” at the Meek Mill news.
— Daniel Victor (@bydanielvictor) April 24, 2018
Below are Mill’s first tweets since the news of his release:
I’d like to thank God, my family, and all my public advocates for their love, support and encouragement during this difficult time. While the past five months have been a nightmare, the prayers, visits, calls, letters and rallies have helped me stay positive.
— Meek Mill (@MeekMill) April 24, 2018
To the Philly District Attorney’s office, I’m grateful for your commitment to justice. I understand that many people of color across the country don’t have that luxury and I plan to use my platform to shine a light on those issues.
— Meek Mill (@MeekMill) April 24, 2018
In the meantime, I plan to work closely with my legal team to overturn this unwarranted conviction and look forward to reuniting with my family and resuming my music career.
— Meek Mill (@MeekMill) April 24, 2018
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Sam Cooper is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
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