An Internet news cycle voraciously hungry for both celebrity gossip and "mad hits" produced a dirty gem yesterday: something called Terez Owens published a report stating Derrick Rose's longtime girlfriend is seven months pregnant with the couple's first child. The source was a deleted tweet from the girlfriend's sister. When a female friend passed along the link, I thought long and hard about running with it before eventually declining. After all, this is SB Nation Chicago, not TMZ Chicago. The report seems, at best, speculative, bordering on unsubstantiated.
The Chicago Sun-Times didn't have such concerns. The paper ran with the gossip blog's lead today and now it's the talk of the town: Derrick Rose is going to be a father. Probably, I guess. If "Terez" is good enough for a trusted civic newspaper like the new-look CST, I suppose it should be good enough for something titled SPORTS BLOG NATION CHICAGO. What would Mike Royko think of all of this?
Here's the quote-unquote report for the Sun-Times:
BULLS SUPERSTAR DERRICK ROSE is going to be a daddy. According to my sources, Rose, 23, and his girlfriend of almost four years, the beautiful Mieka Blackman Reese, 24, a budding Chicago stylist, are expecting their first child probably in October. One source tells me that their "mutual families are very excited and looking forward to the baby’s arrival." Derrick and Mieka first met at a party at Excalibur on North Dearborn.
For as trusted a reporter as the esteemed Stella Foster is, it still seems flimsy from here. I don't know. But if it's true, it's just the latest in a very eventful week for our introverted superstar. Rose comes back from the groin injury, now his ankle hurts. His late game free throw shooting problems also made an appearance again. And then there's this.
If legit? Well, the kid would likely be born around the time Chicago and the Miami Heat are vying for a spot in the NBA Finals. That's a lot on the body and mind of young Mr. Rose. We're sitting here hoping for the best.
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