The family of Jon-Marques Psalms is ordering a second autopsy after the medical examiner’s report confirmed he died as a result of a high-intensity training exercise at the SF Police Academy. The family’s attorney says Psalms was tackled and disarmed by an opponent wearing a padded “RedMan” suit.  

As the Chronicle reports, the San Francisco chief medical examiner confirmed that Psalms, who was 30 years old, suffered a medical emergency, as previously reported by SFist, resulting from severe physical exertion from the police training exercise, which simulates hand-to-hand combat. He died two days later from massive organ failure. As KRON4 reports, the cause of death has not been released, and Psalms’s family is demanding answers from the city and police department. They’re raising funds via GoFundMe to order their own autopsy.

“My older brother, Jon-Marques Psalms, passed away on August 22nd for reasons that we aren’t fully aware of yet. Jon passed away after participating in a training exercise for the SFPD, San Francisco Police Department,” Psalms’s brother Malik Psalms wrote on the GoFundMe page. “The highly controversial ‘Street Cop Training’ exercise that led to his passing has left our family with more questions than answers, and sadly, the City of San Francisco and the Police Department have not provided us with the clarity and support that we need during this time.”

Additionally, as the SF Standard reported last week, the family retained attorney Bradley Gage from Southern California, where Psalms grew up. Gage is also currently representing San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus in a lawsuit against the county. The Standard says Gage has won major cases against the LAPD, and he represented Biggie Smalls’s family in a wrongful death lawsuit, in which they were awarded $1 million in sanctions before the case was dismissed.

Per the Standard, Gage says that Psalms died after participating in a defensive training exercise referred to as “RedMan,” in which the recruit is tackled and disarmed by an opponent wearing a red padded suit, like the one pictured below. (See the promo video further down of the suit in use during training.) Gage told the Standard that Psalms lost consciousness after the “RedMan” exercise. After he regained consciousness, he then collapsed and was rushed to the hospital.

“We have more questions than answers at this point, but what we do know is troubling,” Gage told the Standard. “A perfectly healthy young man went through training at the police academy. As a result of that training, he has now left the earth. Why did this happen? How did it happen?”

Gage also told the Standard that shortly after Psalms’s death, an SFPD captain went on temporary leave and another high-ranking officer was transferred. “You do not have both a lieutenant and captain [moved] essentially within days of a tragedy unless the department already has found alleged wrongdoing on their part,” he said.

The Chronicle reports that the case is still under investigation by Cal/OSHA, and the SFPD is conducting an internal investigation. Per the Chronicle, in 2020, a Santa Clara County sheriff’s cadet collapsed during a RedMan drill and died after being on life support for several hours. The paper also reports that padded-suit drills were banned in Massachusetts after a recruit lost an eye in 2016.

“Cases like this are tragic, no matter how you look at it. In this particular case, it appeared there [were] problems with the way the training was carried out, which led to a death. People should not die when they are training to become a cop,” Gage told the Standard.

Image: GoFundMe

Previously: 30-Year-Old SFPD Recruit Dies From Medical Emergency During Training Exercise

Former NBA star Jeremy Lin, known for sparking “Linsanity” back in 2012, is taking on a new role as mentor to young Asian American college athletes at his newly launched JLIN NextGen Basketball Camp in his hometown of Palo Alto.

As the Bay Area News Group reports, the inaugural camp, a two-day program of high-intensity training and drills, kicked off over the weekend. Lin, 35, was born and raised in Palo Alto and rose to global fame during the 2011–2012 season with the New York Knicks, becoming a symbol of inspiration for a generation of Asian American athletes.

His rise was so meteoric that, as SFist reported at the time, Kim Kardashian was rumored to have set her sights on him—though Lin reportedly said he “wasn’t the type.” He also famously bonded with Tim Tebow over their shared Christian faith.

As the Chronicle reports, while Lin’s NBA career quieted after his 2019 championship win with the Toronto Raptors, his impact has grown through activism, mentorship, and media projects like the HBO documentary 38 at the Garden, which explores how his rise reshaped what felt possible for Asian Americans in sports and beyond.

Lin’s “Linsanity” run in 2012 not only made him a global sensation but also a lasting symbol of hope and representation for Asian American athletes, who rarely saw themselves represented in pro basketball. Back then, Lin was the NBA’s only Asian American playing in the current season, as well as the first Taiwanese American player in NBA history.

“When he spoke about his journey, when he spoke about his upbringing, I was like, ‘Wow, this is literally me. This is like exactly what I had to go through,” Pranav Iyer of Cupertino told the Chronicle. “That is the biggest impact that could be had is that you can see yourself in these people.”

Iyer, who created AMAZN (amazingly Asian) HQ, spotlighting Asian American athletes across the country, continued, “I think everyone was able to find that inspiration and was able to say, ‘Maybe I should push myself harder. I think I can do these things that I was forever told wasn’t possible.’”

Now playing in Taiwan, Lin recently led the New Taipei Kings to their second straight title, earning Finals MVP after a grueling seven-game series — calling it the toughest championship of his career, even compared to his NBA win, as NextShark reports.

Lin told the Bay Area News Group he’s still figuring out exactly how he’ll be involved in the JLIN NextGen camp long-term, but sees it as part of his transition from player to coach. “I will for sure be pouring into the next generation and sharing my thoughts. Hopefully, I can import some wisdom,” he said.

“This opened up my eyes to see the world from a pro’s perspective,” said Annika Shah, a Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo point guard and Palo Alto High alum, in an interview with the Bay Area News Group. “It was cool to just understand that I can learn from anyone. He even said he could learn from us. And so I think him saying he could learn from kids at his own camp, I think that humbles us to be willing to learn from anyone that we’re around.”

Over time, Lin has become more reflective about his role in shaping perceptions of Asian American athletes. While he’s not particularly nostalgic about his own moment in the spotlight, he recognizes that the legacy of “Linsanity” still matters to a lot of people.

“Every time I hear about it, I’m like, ‘Don’t tell me how old you were when it happened,’” he told the Bay Area News Group. “It’s still very relevant. A lot of people still care about it. Seeing people tell me they were in middle school or elementary school when it happened—it’s crazy seeing time fly.”

Image: Jeremy Lin/Facebook

(By Joe Kukura)

Leadership voids -- who's gonna fill 'em? Leadership voids are the only thing these 49ers know for sure they have. Sure, Patrick Willis has a fucking "S" on his chest. Nate Clements and Allen Rossum can ruin quarterbacks' lives while making it look fun and easy. Manny Lawson and Kentwan Balmer just have too cool of names to fail. But as they gild their 2008 manifestation in Santa Clara, these Niners have deeper, more fundamental issues to sort through. To wit:

-Who Owns This Team? Immediately post-Eddie, his supposedly-smarter sister Denise DeBartolo York took ownership. Her straight-out-of-Dunder-Mifflinhusband John York has (astonishingly mis-) handled these duties the last few years. This year, nepotistically-appointed Jed York has played owner in John's frequent absence. Has any of these people ever given off the slightest impression that they enjoy owning an NFL team?

-Who's Coaching This Team? Mike Nolan seems kinds Ed Jew circa September 2007. They allowed him to rotate extensively in the wind after last season, but unenthusiastically kept him on. Mike Martz came on as offensive coordinator, perhaps with some notion that the top job might become vacant mid-season. To what degree is Martz scheming to head coach this team? That's like asking, To what degree are narcotics present in the Tenderloin?