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CONTENDER UPDATE
New questions are arising about the suicide of 23-year-old Contender contestant Najai Turpin, who shot himself in the head Monday following an argument with his girlfriend in Philadelphia. Turpin's manager, Percy Custus, told the Philadelphia Daily News that Turpin was "frustrated" by a Contender contract that barred him from fighting until the show ended in May. (Turpin, who received a weekly $1500 stipend, was reportedly eliminated early on in the series.) "He had no motivation," Custus said. "I don't know if that had anything to do with what happened or not." Meanwhile, NBC and Mark Burnett Productions announced that the episode featuring Turpin be dedicated to the fighter and will air unedited. A trust fund has also been set up to support his 2-year-old daughter. The Contender debuts March 7.
New questions are arising about the suicide of 23-year-old Contender contestant Najai Turpin, who shot himself in the head Monday following an argument with his girlfriend in Philadelphia. Turpin's manager, Percy Custus, told the Philadelphia Daily News that Turpin was "frustrated" by a Contender contract that barred him from fighting until the show ended in May. (Turpin, who received a weekly $1500 stipend, was reportedly eliminated early on in the series.) "He had no motivation," Custus said. "I don't know if that had anything to do with what happened or not." Meanwhile, NBC and Mark Burnett Productions announced that the episode featuring Turpin be dedicated to the fighter and will air unedited. A trust fund has also been set up to support his 2-year-old daughter. The Contender debuts March 7.