New photos have surfaced showing troubled New Birth Pastor Bishop Eddie Long posing in a bathroom mirror wearing tight muscle shirts and bicycle shorts. The photos were first aired by ABC News yesterday evening.
The cell phone pictures are of the variety that men send to women they are crushing on.
The married father of four allegedly sent the undated pics via text message to the three young men named in separate sexual harassment lawsuits filed against him.
On Tuesday Anthony Flagg, 21, and Maurice Robinson, 20, of DeKalb County (pictured left), filed lawsuits against Long and his ministry, alleging sexual coercion and fiduciary misconduct.
Robinson was charged with theft in June after he and another man broke into Long’s office and stole Long’s iPhone and iPad, among other items.
Some have speculated that the men broke into Long’s office in search of evidence (such as pictures and text messages) to be used in their impending lawsuits against him.
Long was scheduled to address the sex scandal on local radio shows this morning, but he canceled his appearances after a 3rd lawsuit was filed yesterday by Jamal Pariss, 23, a former member of New Birth who claims Long made him call him “daddy.”
Long also canceled a press conference which was scheduled for later today.
Long’s attorney, Craig Gillen, read a brief statement from Long on the air this morning on The Tom Joyner Morning show on Kiss 104.1 and The Frank & Wanda Morning Show on V-103.
He said Long would address the scandal this coming Sunday during the 11 a.m. service at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church at 6400 Woodrow Road in Lithonia.
In addition to “categorically” denying the allegations against his client, Gillen stammered out an explanation of the cell phone “muscle shirt” pictures that are sweeping the Internet and blog sites:
“The photos don’t corroborate these charges. [Bishop Long] is a health advocate, he’s a weight lifter. Uh, he’s a fella, you know, who’s gonna go to work and he’s gonna have on a muscle shirt. And he’s gon’, you know, he may show up in church, uh, you know, in a muscle shirt. And… I know sure enough he can come, he comes down to my office in a muscle shirt. So, uh, you know, uh, there’s nothing really in those photographs that seems to me, uh, in any way that, uh, is uh, corroborative of, uh, of these allegations.
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Gillen said he didn’t think the plaintiff’s attorney, B.J. Bernstein, had any evidence to support her case.
He also accused Bernstein of making public statements in the media that could potentially prejudice the case against Long.
In an interview on the Frank & Wanda Morning show yesterday, Bernstein said she was contacted by a representative of New Birth on Sunday prior to filing the lawsuits on Monday in DeKalb County.
But Gillen said the only communication he has had with Bernstein was in the form of a letter he sent informing Bernstein that her conduct could be in violation of state bar rules dealing with publicity.
“Lawyers, like any other folks, we’ve got rules we have to follow,” he said. “There are rules that govern lawyers’ conduct. I’m very disappointed in Ms. Bernstein frankly for the way that she has inflamed these issues. And, uh, apparently, in spite of my letter, has persisted in appearing on national shows and she is the one who’s been trying to try the case in the media.
