5 Explosive Claims From Peacock’s ‘Diddy: The Making Of A Bad Boy’ Documentary

City College Stampede Payments

In connecting the perceived “heartless” behavior from Diddy over the course of his career, the film covered the oft-forgotten City College stampedes. On Dec. 28, 1991, Uptown Records, Diddy, and Heavy D put together the first 1st Annual Celebrity Basketball Game, with the event set to include appearances by both artists and other big names like LL Cool J, Mike Tyson, and more.

On the day of the event, 5,000 attendees attempted to get inside the school’s gym, which had a maximum capacity of 2,730 people. Fans and students grew impatient as they waited for the doors to open and bum-rushed the gymnasium, leading to a massive crowd rushing through the stairwell and into the gym, resulting in a stampede. The stampede turned deadly, as 29 people were crushed underneath the excited fans, with an additional nine students dying.

Peacock explored how Diddy denied any wrongdoing in the tragic incident, with people accusing him of promoting the event as if it were 10,000-person capacity, overselling tickets, and not having enough security for the event. Combs was hit with a plethora of lawsuits, with families demanding that he be held accountable for his hand in the incident.

One family in particular, the family of Sonya Williams, was exceptionally saddened as the young student was killed as a result of the stampede. Williams, who met Diddy through a then-girlfriend, was given a ticket by Combs to attend the basketball game. Combs met with Sonya’s brother, Sonny Williams Jr., to discuss doing something in his sister’s memory. Diddy allegedly offered him $50,000 to make things right, which he felt was a “slap in the face.” Williams admitted, though, that he accepted the money “reluctantly.”

Litigation in the case against Sean Combs dragged on for 6 years, with the Hip-Hop producer not hit with any criminal charges.