SEAN COMBS - ROSEMOND WANTS TIMES REPORTER FIRED

LATEST: SEAN COMBS' former manager JIMMY 'HENCHMAN' ROSEMOND has called for the newspaper reporter who erroneously linked the pair to a gun attack on the late TUPAC SHAKUR to be fired. The Los Angeles Times ran an article on 17 March (08) claiming Rosemond was involved in a plan to ambush Shakur at a New York Recording studio in 1994. The report, by journalist Chuck Philips, went on to claim that Combs had advance knowledge of a planned attack on his rap rival - claims which were staunchly denied by both the Bad Boy Records boss and Rosemond. Philips stood by his article despite the stars' denials, but on Thursday (27Mar08) was forced to issue an apology after it was revealed his investigation had been based on bogus FBI documents. However, Rosemond - who is now managing rapper The Game - wants Philips to suffer the consequences of publishing such "damaging" claims. He tells MTV.com, "I lived with the rumour of what happened to Tupac for the last 14 years. "And rumours are rumours - either you believe them or you don't - but when you have a reputable newspaper like the Los Angeles Times with a Pulitzer Prize winner like Chuck Philips to validate a rumour, then it becomes real. It becomes real in your life, real to the people around you. "When you Google me, this affects me regardless, forever. I could always rebut a rumour, but this is something that's well more damaging. And I think Chuck Philips... did irreparable damage to my career, my reputation and everything else... An apology isn't going to do it. There has to be some form of reprimand in the sense of his job. He needs to lose his job."