Dear red-black friends,

After four years of joy, with ten title wins, this is a sad day for Flamengo basketball. With all due respect to our opponents, the bitterness of a defeat doesn't come close to ours. It's hard to have to announce that Flamengo will no longer have not only the athlete but also a Flamengo citizen named Jerome Meyinsse next season. A person who became very special, a Flamengo idol, not only for his professional quality but also for his excellent relationships with the coaching staff, teammates, professionals, and managers at all levels. Most importantly, for the profound respect and affection he always showed to the Sacred Mantle and our fans, with his impeccable demeanor on and off the court.

Adopting the transparency that has become our rule in communication, here is the history:

We spoke with Jerome at the end of the NBB8, a customary action with all athletes, before his return to the US. We sent the renewal proposal to his agent approximately ten days ago. It's worth emphasizing that it's true that we anticipated difficulties in the negotiations, due to the sharp appreciation of the dollar against the Real since 2014, when we renewed our last contract for two years. The country's current dire economic situation, which has scared away sponsors from Brazilian basketball, also doesn't contribute at all to this time of roster formation for the next season. 

However, to our great surprise, before any progress could be made in discussing the proposal (we were insisting on a position regarding our offer), we received a message from the athlete, which we reproduce here in part, in his admirably almost perfect Portuguese.

Jerome, despite the melancholy that pervades us at this moment, this is not the time for Flamengo or anyone else to question the decision. Everyone should respect the career choice, based on personal and professional reasons that lead us to believe that the current cycle at Flamengo is over, with other challenges now in sight. Honestly, we don't think they will be greater, because playing for Flamengo is the pinnacle for any athlete, but perhaps different ones. Soon, we'll know which team will be fortunate enough to have such a distinguished person and athlete in its ranks.

Clube de Regatas do Flamengo deeply appreciates all your dedication to promoting the club like no other. You were a "Big Guy" in every sense of the word, from the first day you set foot on Brazilian soil and became a Rio native and a Flamengo fan by choice. "Big Guy" not only as a player, but above all in terms of character, which helped embody the profile that has become today the number one requirement for wearing the "Pride of the Nation" jersey. 

You became a role model for us all, an idol. You understood and embodied the chemistry that makes Flamengo so strong, almost invincible, through the synergy between athletes and fans. Three wonderful years passed when, together, and in the arms of the Nation, we won three Rio de Janeiro championships, three NBBs, a League of the Americas, a World Championship, and even earned the respect of the NBA. The name Jerome Meyinsse has definitively entered our history, becoming part of the "Champion of Everything" group. It will be difficult to miss your daily good humor, the jokes about your huge dishes and four-time meals, your eternal açaí promotion, your clever jokes on social media, and we will obviously miss your absence as a great player on the court.

You, Jerome, have proven to the pseudo-professionals of 21st-century sports that, paradoxically, being a great professional athlete simply means behaving like an "amateur athlete" in the best sense of the word, loving your sport and the people around you, dedicating yourself daily. It means respecting the club and the fans at all times, even your final message, which moves us deeply. In today's harsh and cold world, it's comforting to see that it's still possible to cultivate relationships like these within sports. We should never accept anything less than this attitude as a model for a Flamengo athlete.

In fact, let us simply reject the idea that this was a final message. Flamengo's doors will always be wide open to the citizen of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the most Carioca and red-and-black North American on the face of the Earth. See you very soon! The word "saudade," difficult to translate into English, no longer fits in our hearts.

Flamengo's life continues. We are still building our squad for the 2016/17 season, with the renewed mission of building the strongest team within the existing budget, in these difficult times in Brazil. Meyinsse's departure repeats the path of some great athletes in the recent past, a natural occurrence for a club that has become a "victim" of our own success, with our most successful players being scouted by teams from various parts of the world. However, history shows us that winning cultures must be cultivated daily to continue bearing fruit and are not easily replicated elsewhere.

We will maintain our winning and ambitious philosophy (but without any chance of exceeding the limits of financial responsibility), emphasizing that the Flamengo institution will always be above all of us. Everyone will pass (athletes, coaching staff, and directors), but Flamengo will remain, in the case of basketball, with the responsibility of always honoring the nickname "Pride of the Nation."

Thank you, Meyinsse! 

Red-black greetings,

Alexandre Póvoa

Vice President of Olympic Sports