Robert Griffin III was the number two overall draft pick of the Washington Redskins during Thursday night's NFL Draft ... which nets him a big contract and HUGE perks ... like VIP treatment from Jay-Z during his NFL Draft party at the 40/40 Club.
RG III, Trent Richardson and Quinton Coples were just of the picks in attendance. The guests dined on signature dishes from executive chug Mike Shand -- including wings, chicken fingers, BBQ pulled turkey sliders and classic beef slides.
New York Giants stud WR Victor Cruz was also there ... and he and RG III got bottles of champagne as gifts for the night.
Michael Irvin
Robert Griffin III and Hakeem Nicks
Justin Blackmon
Hakeem Nicks
Trent Richardson
Mekai Phieefer
Brian Westbrook
Mark Barron
RG III and Eddie George
Lesean Mccoy
Quinton Coples
Brooklyn Nets unveil new logo and black and white color scheme
The Nets kept it simple and crisp with their new colors and logo, hoping that a combination of black, white and Brooklyn will keep merchandise flying off the shelves.
A project 10 years in the making became official Monday morning with the re-branding of the Brooklyn Nets. Grabbing hold of the marketing opportunity, the Nets held a press conference at a Modell's store across the street from their new arena to unveil the aesthetic identity.
Everything about it was black and white: the logos, the t-shirts, the hats, even the complimentary black and white cookies.
"We thought it kind of represented Brooklyn. It's simple. It's crisp. It's kind of classic. It's urban. We thought it's New York," said Irina Pavlova, the president of Mikhail Prokhorov's sports and entertainment company.
The primary logo, which is outlined by the shape of a shield, is similar in style and colors to that of the Oakland Raiders. The secondary logo is a "B" imposed over a basketball.
After considerable deliberation, Pavlova said they decided to use "B" for the logo instead of "BK." She said Jay-Z pushed hard for the former and helped sway the vote.
"The colors and logos fit with Brooklyn's strong history and heritage," said CEO Brett Yormark, giddy that he finally has something worth marketing. "They differentiate us. Just like Brooklyn is different than anywhere in the world we will be the lone NBA team with only black and white as colors. As we're entering a new era for this team we knew that we had one chance and one chance only to make it work, and we were thrilled with the results."
Yormark added that the logo is "the shield of Brooklyn."
The Nets gave out ticket vouchers for the opening game next season to the first 100 people, so a line began forming about eight hours before the doors opened. The first person on line — Astoria resident Rob Gorman, who started the line at 2:30 a.m. — admitted he's a Knick fan and doesn't plan on switching allegiance. "But Brooklyn is easier to get to," he said. "I'm hoping for tickets that are more affordable as well."
NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver, who was at the press conference, said he expects the Nets to become a profitable organization and capture a strong fan base.
"I don't think we would have allowed the move if we didn't think the market could sustain two NBA basketball teams. I think by virtue of this team having its own arena, its own identity, by being Brooklyn's own — which hasn't happened since 1957 — I think that'll make a big difference as well. I have complete confidence that this market can sustain two teams. I believe the fans will get behind this team and there are plenty of fans in this market for both the Knicks and Nets."
sources 1 and 2
How did your team make out in the draft?