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Sean “Diddy” Combs started a business and entrepreneurship class for fellow inmates while behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
The six-week course, according to a syllabus, blends positive thinking with business and money strategies, offering advice on how to outwork the competition, manage ego, overcome failure and set goals — with homework assignments included.
“The course offers exclusive insights into the journey of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, tracing his rise from humble beginnings to becoming a globally recognized icon and influential business mogul,” the syllabus states.
According to his attorneys, Combs launched the two-hour class after fellow inmates repeatedly asked how he began his career.
Combs’ attorneys submitted several letters penned by inmates who took the “Free Game with Diddy” class to Judge Arun Subramanian, who is set to sentence the music mogul on Friday, Oct. 3.
The letters are intended to supplement the defense’s sentencing memorandum, which asks that Subramanian sentence Combs to no more than 14 months in prison. The Bad Boy Records founder was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
In the court filing containing the letters from inmates, Combs’ attorneys shared that his unit counselor praised the class.
“… excellent class, keep up the great work,” the counselor wrote.
One inmate who attended the class noted in one of the letters that “Free Game with Diddy” helped teach him to stay disciplined.
“What I take from this class is how to set realistic goals that would be easier to maintain and it’s giving me the knowledge and tools I didn’t have before,” Arturo Santiago wrote, adding Combs “lived the life that so many dream about and he got it using the same tools and knowledge he’s giving me.”
The seminars in Combs’ class are named after a mix of self-help jargon and cultural references and include “Just Do It,” “Execute,” “Time Waits for No Man, “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop” and “Failure.” Combs touches on such topics as leadership, business plan development, empowerment and the idea that taking small steps daily will lead to success.
The music mogul — who spent approximately 30 hours a week on the course — decided to bring it to others in his dorm and throughout the facility because no other educational programs were being offered, according to his defense’s sentencing memorandum filed on Sept. 22.
“‘Free Game with Diddy’ had a substantial impact on many fellow inmates. Despite many professional successes in Mr. Combs’ life, he counts his Free Game course as one of the most impactful and important endeavors of his life,” the filing reads. “He hopes to continue with and expand and improve upon this curriculum in the future.”
Additionally, there was a Spanish interpreter, and to earn a certificate, students were required to complete homework assignments, including goal-setting exercises and an essay incorporating lessons from Combs’ own journey.
“His goal is to implement this program on a grander scale upon his release with programming to extend to youth in the community as well as in state operated facilities,” the memorandum continued. “Rather, he is a humbled man who understands that the most important things in life are his devotion to and quality time with his family and his contributions for the benefit of others.”
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Though Combs was acquitted of racketeering and sex trafficking charges that could have landed him a life sentence, he still could face more than a decade in prison.
Prosecutors have asked that Combs be sentenced to 11 years in prison for his prostitution convictions, arguing that he was “unrepentant.”
Subramanian recently denied a defense motion to have Combs’ prostitution convictions tossed out, ruling that the government had successfully proved its case.
Combs has been behind bars since his arrest in September 2024, having been denied bail multiple times.
