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Inside World Of High-Net-Worth Lending: Kevin Plank Pledges Georgetown Home For $15M Commercial Loan

Local Baltimore media outlets have reported that Under Armour founder Kevin Plank—who returned as CEO in April 2024—recently pledged his $2 million Georgetown rowhouse as collateral for a $15 million loan. Just three months earlier, Plank relisted his 400-acre equestrian farm in northern Baltimore County. At the time, we asked one very simple question: Is the billionaire CEO searching for liquidity?

The Baltimore Sun—once a far-left, woke newspaper but now showing signs of journalistic revival under new ownership—reported that the $15 million loan is intended to fund or acquire “a business or commercial investment.” The paper cited a deed of trust filed last week in Washington, D.C.

“The document makes no mention of specific investments in the filing with the district’s recorder of deeds,” The Sun wrote, adding Plank “signed the deed on May 9 in a deal to borrow $15 million from Breezewood DE LLC, a Denver-based limited liability company.” 

Shedding more light on the opaque world of high-net-worth lending—where anonymity and asset protection are often by design—a blog post from a local real estate team “Fox Homes Team” offers additional color, noting: 

At the center of this transaction is Breezewood DE LLC, a Wyoming-registered limited liability company with no clear public-facing identity. The LLC was formed by Kevin Walton, a Denver-based attorney with the law firm Snell & Wilmer. Curiously, the LLC’s mailing address traces back to the accounting firm Eide Bailly, also located in Denver—a layered structure that hints at deliberate opacity and financial insulation. This isn’t uncommon in the world of high-net-worth lending, where anonymity and asset protection are often baked into the very architecture of a deal.

What stands out most is the explicit wording in the deed: the loan is designated for “carrying on or acquiring a business or commercial investment.” That leaves a wide interpretive window—one that’s fueling curiosity across financial and real estate sectors. The ambiguity has sparked a flurry of speculation. Is this loan a vehicle for expanding Plank’s private investment firm, Sagamore Ventures? Is it tied to Under Armour’s restructuring strategy? Or is it a positioning move to take advantage of D.C.’s evolving commercial real estate lending climate in 2025?

Whatever the answer, the use of a historically significant Georgetown property as collateral signals more than liquidity needs—it’s a sophisticated financial tactic. The property isn’t just real estate; it’s equity in motion. And in this context, Georgetown’s value isn’t merely aesthetic—it’s fiscal leverage in one of the most discerning real estate markets in the nation.

The designation of the loan for “acquiring a business or commercial investment” suggests to us that it will be used for a financial transaction via Plank’s Sagamore Ventures, a privately held investment company managed by the Plank family and J. Kelly Dayton. Plank’s venture arm has diversified holdings in commercial real estate, hospitality, food, and beverage. 

Mapping Plank’s empire via publicly available data:

At first glance, Plank’s decision to collateralize his Georgetown home may seem unusual. But in reality, it’s a common strategy among high-net-worth individuals…

House Republicans Advance Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” After Weekend Of Negotiations

Following a Friday fracas on Capitol Hill which saw House Republicans fail to advance President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” out of the House Budget Committee, Republicans on said Committee did just that after several GOP deficit hawks relented. And while the bill still has a couple of stops before it can hit the House Floor, passage to the Senate could come as early as the end of this week.

The measure passed narrowly, 17-16, with all Democrats opposed and four Republicans; Reps. Chip Roy of Texas, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, and Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma – voting “present” after voting “No” on the bill in a 16-21 vote just two days earlier. The sudden turnaround followed a weekend of furious negotiations that remain largely behind closed doors.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) met with fellow lawmakers shortly before Sunday’s vote and told reporters that there had been “some minor modifications,” several sources posted on X. Johnson said the bill, which includes making Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent and reforming Medicaid, is now “on track” for a House floor vote toward the end of this week.

The vote was a big win for Johnson and Trump, coming just two days after Republican opposition torpedoed the bill’s first attempt at committee passage. Despite this procedural victory, the legislation must still clear the House Rules Committee and secure a vote on the House floor, where Republicans hold only a razor-thin majority, Axios reports.

Norman, one of the Republicans who shifted his position, said he was “excited about the changes” in the works for the bill.

Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-TX) confirmed during the Sunday night session that “most likely there would be some changes” to the measure before it reaches the floor – but he couldn’t comment on specifics or any side deals that might have been struck.

The panel’s reversal came after it initially rejected the legislation Friday, setting off a scramble to renegotiate terms with holdout Republicans. One of the most contentious elements has been the GOP’s proposed Medicaid overhaul, with conservatives pushing for deeper structural changes and moderates raising concerns about the political risks.

Even if the package passes the House, Senate Republicans are expected to propose their own revisions. To that end, Johnson has also been working to secure buy-in from blue state Republicans by exploring a compromise on the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction cap.

On Friday, Trump did his usual shit-talking to pressure Republicans into line – posting on Truth Social; “We don’t need ‘GRANDSTANDERS’ in the Republican Party. STOP TALKING, AND GET IT DONE!”

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Tyler Durden
Mon, 05/19/2025 – 00:00…

Tattoos May Be Linked To Cancer – Here’s Why…

Authored by Zena le Roux via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

“I got tattooed during a time in my life when I wasn’t fully informed about what was going into my body or what I was allowing onto my skin. Back then, it was about art, self-expression, and creative identity.”
Witthaya Prasongsin/GettyImages

“Today, I see it differently. Tattoos are not harmless,” Ellie Grey a book author, wrote on Facebook.

Like Grey, many people choose to get tattoos as self-expression, acts of remembrance, or transformation. But even when the meaning runs deep, tattoos can have consequences—some only now coming to light.

The Link Between Tattoos and Cancer

Many tattoo inks contain chemicals that have been classified as carcinogenic—or cancer-causing—by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

A 2024 study by Swedish researchers found that 21 percent of participants with malignant lymphoma had tattoos compared with 17 percent of controls. The risk was highest—an 81 percent increase—among those who got their first tattoo within two years of diagnosis.

“We know that tattoo ink often contains toxic chemicals and that a significant portion of the injected ink is transported away from the skin by the immune system, which perceives it as a foreign substance,” Christel Nielsen, associate professor and lead author of the study, told The Epoch Times.

Once ink enters the dermis, the layer of skin beneath the outer layer, the immune system attempts to clear it, sending pigment particles to nearby lymph nodes and, potentially, other organs. This may disrupt immune function and trigger systemic inflammation. Over time, the persistent presence of ink in lymphatic tissue could contribute to abnormal immune activity and increase the risk of cancers such as lymphoma and skin cancer.

Are some tattoos more harmful than others?

Does Size Matter

Nielsen’s study found no clear link between the size of a tattoo and lymphoma risk.

“We did not observe an increased risk with larger tattoos, which was unexpected,” Nielsen said. “That does not mean such a link doesn’t exist—only that our study design may not have been able to detect it.”

However, Nielsen noted that a January study published in BMC Public Health on the same topic found a different pattern, suggesting that larger tattoos may indeed be associated with a higher cancer risk. The study proposed that larger tattoos might have a stronger effect due to greater overall ink exposure or prolonged exposure from tattoos acquired over time.

Tattoo risks also include infections and allergic reactions that may be difficult to treat, Dr. Bruce Brod, clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, told the Epoch Times. Such risks may be amplified by the amount of ink used or how deeply it’s deposited—factors more likely in larger or multiple tattoos.

Does Color Matter

Another factor to consider is the color of the tattoo. In a matched analysis comparing individuals with similar characteristics, those with black or grey tattoos had a 23 percent higher risk of lymphoma. Those with both black and colored tattoos had a 21 percent higher risk compared to…

‘Pandemonium’: Sailors Go Flying As Mexican Navy Smashes Into Brooklyn Bridge

Approximately 20 people were injured when a Mexican navy ship carrying at least 200 people collided with the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday night, snapping its three masts and sending crew members flying through the air – with some left swinging in harnesses for ‘at least like 15 minutes’ according to an eyewitness.
Nelson Slinkard/X

The vessel, the Cuauhtémoc, is a sail training vessel that was about to leave New York for a goodwill tour to Iceland when the incident occurred. Video showed heavy traffic on the bridge during the collision.

On the scene was 23-year-old Nick Corso, who whipped his phone out to capture the action – telling AP it sounded like a “big twig” had snapped, and that the scene was “pandemonium.”

“I didn’t know what to think, I was like, is this a movie?” he told the outlet.

A massive pirate ship just hit the Brooklyn Bridge pic.twitter.com/eWRvh8Ognn
— Corso (@Corso52) May 18, 2025

The Mexican Navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc sailed into New York Tuesday, with 277 sailors aboard.
This is the same ship that crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge tonight.
More:pic.twitter.com/nflRPALTTW
— Marla Hohner (@marlahohner) May 18, 2025

Just watched the Brooklyn Bridge get smoked live by a boat with a massive Mexican flag pic.twitter.com/R8eJKwJaJ2
— Nelson Slinkard (@TheWillieNelson) May 18, 2025

The ship was secured by a tugboat between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges following the collision.

At least 19 people were injured, including four with “serious” injuries, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams – while the Mexican navy puts the count at 22 injured, 19 of whom needed medical treatment.

NEW: Video shows sailors on the masts of the Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtémoc before it hit the Brooklyn bridge. #PuenteDeBrooklyn #Barco #boat pic.twitter.com/gW5GXBfp1a
— Noteworthy News (@newsnoteworthy) May 18, 2025
“We saw someone dangling, and I couldn’t tell if it was just blurry or my eyes, and we were able to zoom in on our phone and there was someone dangling from the harness from the top for like at least like 15 minutes before they were able to rescue them,” a bystander, Lily Katz, told AP.

Opened in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge has a main span of nearly 1,600 feet, supported by two masonry towers. Over 100,000 vehicles and an estimated 32,000 pedestrians use the bridge every day, according to the city’s transportation department.

Tyler Durden
Sun, 05/18/2025 – 07:35…