Fair and Balanced
Matt Jones
Fair and balanced.
I know FOX uses this moniker to describe their news coverage. But this article has little, if anything, to do with the media giant.
This is about justice.
Quick question: Did anyone know that Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Matt Jones faced felony cocaine charges in the off-season?
Did you forget? Because I CERTAINLY did not.
The fact that that Jones did cocaine is bad enough. But the fact that he is STILL on the field, AND the Jags’ leading receiver is totally unfair. So I’m here to put some fairness and balance into the picture.
Matt Jones was actually caught by a police officer in a truck with a credit card, cutting up the cocaine. He was “allegedly” caught with an 1/8 of an ounce of cocaine. As I mentioned, Jones is STILL ballin’. This appeal process has been the LONGEST process I’ve ever experienced in my life. As you read, Week 14 is underway and action still has not been taken.
Not by the owner of the Jags, Wayne Weaver. Not by Roger Goodell. Not by anyone.
Michael Vick was brought up on a litany of charges, including dogfighting. He got 2 years in federal prison and still faces more charges from the state when he gets out. Rick Reilly just wrote a piece wondering about his bankruptcy filing. He may face a lifetime ban from the NFL upon his release and may be relegated to playing in the Arena Football League. Falcons owner Arthur Blank tried to grab a good portion of Vick’s $17M signing bonus back.
What part of the game is this???
Now, I understand that Goodell wants to crack down on the negative image and actions of players in the NFL. So, if Vick gets 2 years in the ‘pen, and Adam Jones, formerly Pacman, gets suspended for a year for not being convicted of a crime, where does Matt “Crackman” Jones’ offense fit?
Surely, Goodell can’t be more worried about a player changing his name (Chad Javon Ocho Cinco) than a football player setting a bad example for children in the state of Florida could he?
The NFL could not possibly fine a player for having too much red in his socks (Vick in 2002), or wearing striped socks (Portis in 2005) than a player that not only was caught doing cocaine, but also resisted arrest, could it?
Now, granted Paul Tagliabue was the commish then, but Goodell wanted to crack down on the negatives, and neglected to deal with the actual crack.
I mean, there is nothing being done about this and it is an outrage. Now, I am a real journalist and not an outraged fan. But seeing Pat and Kevin Williams, Deuce McAllister, Will Grant, and Charles Grant get suspended for a diuretic that was in a health supplement, but wasn’t listed on the bottle. And Plaxico Burress is looking at 2.5 years minimum for shooting himself in the leg. AND the Giants suspended him for the rest of the season. Shaun Ellis just got arrested on weed possession.
Look, it’s very hard to defend Adam Jones. And even more difficult to defend Burress’ incident.
But where is the justice though?
I mean, we’re not talking about weed. Not canibus, nor marijuana. But we’re talking about COCAINE??? Like Tony Montana COCAINE??? Like David Ruffin from the Temptations COCAINE???. AND NO SUSPENSION?
When’s the last time there has been a 13-week appeal?
And, I want to go on a limb and say if it was a Black player, intent to distribute would have been a definite charge.
Oh wait. You mean there is a Black player charged with possession of cocaine? In college? At Texas Tech? And he got intent to distribute? De’Shon Sanders is his name? You don’t say…
I have to get real bold here and ask a question and I’d LOVE if someone can present an answer.
Where are the white athletes that commit crimes? Why is Jason Giambi a saint now, but Barry Bonds is blackballed? Where are the athletic white criminals? Are they extinct?
I want justice!
I want answers!
Sphere: Related Content
December 5th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Great article. America even with a black president will never be fair and balanced. I see O.J. got 15 years for a taped obvious set up. My problem is where is the justice for the many blacks killed at the hands of the kkk simply for being black. All white juries and grand juries over and over let these people off. Where was the outrage? The country is falling apart because of greedy white men and all the media can talk about today is OJ. The hypocrisy is ridiculous. Wrong is wrong. I didn’t see the government spending time and money trying to bring these evil men to justice. Where is the justice? Hell if I know.
December 5th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Michelle-
Thank you for your enlightening response. This issue does extend beyond sports. It’s not even a fine line anymore. But I do see sports as a reflection of this society. OJ getting 9 years or 15 years (I’ve heard/seen conflicting reports) is crazy. Payback for the Goldman case? I mean, who knows.
And people do NOT speak up for themselves nowadays. And yeah, I’m talking about athletes. I WISH some Black athletes had some challenging, intelligent remarks and actions to challenge the MSM and their never-ending attempts to embarrass the Black athlete and humiliate them/us. I say us because I dont want Blacks to be “niggers” anymore. I don’t want us to turn on each other and be against each other and break each other down. I don’t want us to be duped and bamboozled and hoodwinked.
I want us to be brothers and sisters…I want us to be unified. Real rap.
I sincerely do wish a Muhammad Ali would stand up in this day in age. I sincerely do.Especially one of LeBron’s stature…
Your points are excellent, Michelle.
Dont lose me yall…let’s tackle the issues at hand
December 5th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Great post brotha. But whites athlete or white people will never be held to the standard that blacks are held to never.
Matt Jones will be lucky to even get suspended at all (and this includes next year).
You can add the Patrick Kerney to the list. The seahawks kicker (I think) that had his home raided last year when the animals were being abused and no word was ever said.
Oh and don’t forget the OL dude for the pats that got busted with dope crossing the boarder then played imformant.
Its the same as it always has been. Sh%$ this might as well be the 60s minus the assasinations …………now folks just shoot themselves in the stomach or hang them selves from trees (wink wink) and out spoken blacks. Whne it comes to how the media portrays us.
But it ain’t over yet watch what these punks do to bonds.
The sage continues!!!
December 5th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
Michelle -
Somewhere between juice and juxtaposition in the dictionary.
origin-
cosign
With sports being a reflection of society, Matty Jones is just a close up view of the justice system. Rich white cats get off all the time with the same crimes that black folk get thrown in jail for serious time for. Employers don’t punish them, they stick them in rehab. But let a black person even be around accused, and they’re shown the door by the employer.
December 6th, 2008 at 1:42 am
Its all about the SHIELD!! Oh we must protect the SHIELD! The integrity of the game!!! We cant let these black bucks tarnish the integrity of the great game!!
I think that’s the foolishness they holler in between castrating black athletes while simultaneously brushing off (or downright ignoring) the “incidents” of a Matt Jones or Nick Kaczur. Don’t forget, you don’t actually have to be arrested or be accused of a violation of a government law…oh noez…..if your black azz speaks out, if you are too arrogant, if you hold out for your worth…those are technical crimes - whether or not its a misdemeanor or a felony is determined by the talking heads. I really hope a rattlesnake type is named head of the NFLPA…I hope its someone who comes in the door telling the Commish “I’m not here to be your friend”…but I won’t hold my breath.
December 6th, 2008 at 3:17 am
T-Time, Origin, Kos and Miranda,
I painfully agree with you all. T-Time, you are right on. Very few athletes speak up about anything. They make their millions and keep their mouths shut.
Damn shame!
December 6th, 2008 at 4:18 am
The media frenzy that accompanied the O.J. case in 1994 actually helped to boost the 24-hour news and sports cycle. ESPN/ESPN Radio were still in their ‘early’, formative years and the O.J. fiasco helped to provide credibility in the eyes of advertisers and viewers that it is something that is viable and profitable.
Does anybody remember ‘E’ NETWORK and how they brought Kathleen Sullivan out of retirement to anchor broadcast coverage and it boost their ratings and re-affirmed their status on many cable systems.
O.J. was the ‘test case’ for the current way the mainstream news/sports media has covered African-Americans and the African-American athlete specifcally..
Now when the Ray Lewis and even Kobe Bryant crisis happened, it was covered vigorously, but it was something about the Michael Vick case in the summer of 2007 that was troublesome to me as an African-American, but on the other side to see how the mainstream sports/news media thrives off black athlete’s foibles–real or manufactured. In regards to Vick, there were a lot of facts which were omitted such as the questionable search warrants at the very beginning that allowed police to search the Vick-owned property. Additionally, the dogs retrieved on the property were not hurt and most of the dogs were adoptable. However, the ‘perception’ was the opposite. Using old video footage unrelated to the Vick case and talk about Vick in the background. ESPN went to great lengths to pursue Vick. LAWS were changed. Within weeks, dogfighting was changed from misdemeanor to a felony. I don’t recall that network EVER going after an athlete in the way they did. And it was disgusting.
And even though many justify their excessive criticism and unbalanced reporting of Vick by saying he allegedly abused dogs, it doesn’t make it right. And when anti-Vick reporters say …”well he deserve it because he broke the law…” I would say it’s not about the dogs or the alleged criminal act, but trying to emasculate, belittle or dissect the black athlete into a caricature– UNDER THE GUISE OF OF SO CALLED FAIR AND BALANCED REPORTING. Donovan McNabb is not a criminal, but a very articulate, smart cool guy, but it didn’t stop ESPN and local media in questioning his heart and intelligence. Same thing with Kordell Stewart. Same thing with Vince Young. Same thing with Tavaris Jackson. Same thing with Duante Culppper. The coverage of Vince’s alleged suicide was the momentary ‘hot’ story and it was so hot that the Titans’ coach Jeff Fisher couldn’t control the barrage and knew if he let Vince come back, the media would still be asking for the millionth time : ‘Why did you want to kill yourself..” or stadiums around the league would pick up ESPN’s cue of negativity and try to make jokes about it.. In regards to Young, it started before the ‘alledged’ suicide attempt. It seems the analysts were already picking Vince apart. Vince had been the most successful of the 2006 QBs that included Jay Cutler and Matt Leinart and Trent Edwards. Vince was Rookie of the Year and took his team to the playoffs with a 10-6 mark, but he was seen as the ‘failure’ of the group. At the time, Cutler, Leinart and Edwards had NEVER taken their teams to the playoffs prior to the 2008 season starting.
There is a double standard going on here and it is masked under the so called fair and balanced reporting and analysis from the mainstream sports media.
December 6th, 2008 at 4:27 am
Matt Jones shouldn’t be playing–period. He committed a felony, but he is allowed to act like nothing happened and can resume his career without breaking stride. If Dwight Freeney was in a car cutting cocaine with ‘friends’, it would be a vastly different story portrayed and it would be handled much more aggressively from ESPN and local sports media.
Bill Belicheck shouldn’t have been coaching in 2007 when he was exposed as the kingpin of the Spygate case. If this was Chicago’s Lovie Smith or Herm Edwards or even a Tony Dungy, the media would be protesting for Lovie, Herm or Tony to give their Super Bowl rings back and for him to be indicted by the federal government for ‘cheating’.
Jared Allen has been a bad boy in the past with his behavior (more than once), but many don’t even know his name.
December 6th, 2008 at 4:42 am
ESPN never touched this Patrick Kerney story at all.. LOCAL ATL TV MEDIA covered it for maybe two days… Local sports radio cut off black listeners who wanted to bring it up as a comparison to the way Vick was hammered.
**************************
Alleged Rape Took Place At Patrick Kerney’s Atlanta Home
Mar 19th 2007
Former Atlanta Falcon Patrick Kerney recently signed with the Seattle Seahawks but still lives in the Atlanta area. WSB-TV out of Atlanta is reporting that a woman claims she was raped in Kerney’s home early Sunday morning. The facts are sketchy.
Police said a woman claims she was raped inside Kerney’s home early Sunday morning.
Channel 2’s Dale Cardwell said as rape allegations go, the police report filed is extremely thin. Nobody has been named in the police report, no one has been arrested and, at this point, there is no indication Kerney was involved.
WSB-TV, who has a video report to go along with the article, notes that there is no mention in the police report of Kerney being involved.
The 29 year old woman said that her and some friends accepted a ride from a bar and ended up back at Kerney’s home. Several current and former Falcons were said to be at the bar. Once the woman arrived at Kerney’s home, she reported to feel sleepy and eventually woke up in a bedroom where she said she was being raped.
Kerney has not been indicated to this point, but this is certainly just another blemish on NFL players and/or the company they keep.
December 6th, 2008 at 7:27 am
Great points Patrick.
And yes I have always believed that the OJ trial back in 1994 set the standard.
And you broke down how there has been a concerted effort to tar and feather these black athletes (especially black QBs).
The hate for vince started when he defeated USC in the Rose Bowl. After that game everyone was hating on that young man from c&&ns like Whitlock to Mike Golic.
There was no national media beef when it was thought that Vince would be a WR in teh NFL or a low 4th round pick as QB. But once that dudes stock shot up after the rose bowl. Everyone and their momma started to hate. And we saw this the next year with Jamarcus Russell. You had folks saying that he wasn’t the clear top pick. Since when a QB with his talent isn’t a 1st overall pick?
Then you had the media questioning his wonderlic………..well he scored like a 24, so that didn’t work. Then they said he was a bad character. But it comes out that he housed hurricane katrina evacues in his apartment while at school. Not only did he house these folks but he also let Fats domino(who was an evacuee too) stay at his apartment.
December 6th, 2008 at 8:25 am
Exposing, critiquing and exploiting Black athletes’ problems have been a reliable money-maker for ESPN/ESPN radio and the mainstream local sports media for nearly two decades. It has helped ESPN be put into a position to build their brand to the point that it is a billion dollar industry and broadcast NBA, NFL and MLB games several times a week.
Racism/bigotry among the producers, announcers, editors and anchors do exist. However, the power of dollar– the advertising dollar– is a strong undercurrent in how African-American athletes are covered.
From Bob Ley to Colin Cowherd to Trey Wingo and Steve Levy, they make their money off the foibles of the black athlete…
And there was a remark in a Sportsenter broadcast in which they were talking about Donovan McNabb. Remember the ‘tie’ controversy? ESPN and local Philly media were running that story into the ground and then some. And Donovan said ENOUGH one day about a week later! Donovan said..”It’s over….” and later that night Steve Levy said something that may have been seen as a joke, but it was NOT.. but after Donovan’s ENOUGH soundbite…Levy said …”IT’S NOT OVER TILL WE SAY IT’S OVER…” There is an arrogance, a contempt there and its targeted and selective toward the black athlete.
If Matt Hasselback says something..no problem.. If Jake Plummer shoots a bird..no problem If Jon Kitna cusses out his coaches..really? who cares…If Marc Burger of the Rams says he won’t play unless his coach gets fired…no problem…
White athletes get a pass; despite their black counterparts get paid just as much or more. Why wasn’t the Kerney situation given more attention? Kerney makes 6 to 7 million a year and been to a Pro Bowl?
Plax is seen as more interesting than Matt Jones. Jones is a multi-million dollar athlete who plays WR, but the ‘advertisers’ and listeners– primarily white– aren’t interested in listening about Matt Jones’ problems which are EQUALLY TROUBLING. Sports radio is an extension of conservative talk radio that sprouted up in the late 1980’s. Would you rather talk about Steve Howe or Dwight Gooden? Would rather talk about Ken Caminiti or the mercurial Albert Belle? Would you rather talk about Deion Sanders throwing water at Tim McCarver or Lyle Azado’s steroid abuse? Would you rather talk about the alleged rape that happened at Patrick Kerney’s house –with Kerney in the house when it happened– or talk about Michael Vick association with dog fighting?
December 6th, 2008 at 8:36 am
…..”There was no national media beef when it was thought that Vince would be a WR in the NFL or a low 4th round pick as QB. But once that dudes stock shot up after the rose bowl. Everyone and their momma started to hate….”
Within two years, there may be NO African-American QBs in the NFL. Within two years, there may be NO African-American head coaches in the NFL.
And this is by design.
Most of the young black QBs that have come into the NFL since 1999, have been generally successful…. (from McNabb to Vick to Vince Young…) However, the contempt for their style of play is something that will eventually become a problem and the media will play a role in producing controversy.
And this hate or contempt has a potential trickle down effect on tomorrow’s QBs (i.e. Ball State’s Nate Davis, Ohio State’s Terrell Pryor, or Baylor’s Robert Griffin..) It sends a negative message to these young QBs or maybe someone’s 10 or 12 year son that if you TRY to aspire to be a QB, the NFL and the media will make it hard for you to succeed and even if you manage to get out of college, you should put aside your NFL aspirations to be a QB and just settle to be a WR or DB…
December 6th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Well said patrick………….well said indeed brotha.
December 6th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
I am reading all the post here and it strikes me that this is ground hog day every day. Back in the ’40’s Elijah Muhammed said “seperate” and Caucasians and kneegrows get all bent out of shape. The Honorable Marcus Garvey said, if Caucasians think we are inferior, then leave us alone and let us get on with our life, and Amerikkka Inc. called hime a communist and initiated deportation measures.
We know -intellectually and emotionally- the best period in this corporations his-story for us, was during the Jim Crow period. Yes there were homocidal rapages, but wwe built viable communities, had successful business and strong family bases. This is more important than how you’re balling. Mark this down, during times in this corporations his-story when there is a down economic period, the homocidal rampages go up. While we are not our fathers ( more of us can and will defend ourselves) we need a two pronged attack, get the fuck out of the mans business and start our own and defend our right as free people on this earth, in this time by all means necessary.
Peace and blessing
December 6th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Sankofa,
Wow! When I listen to the talking heads from the msm discuss the latest OJ case and with a straight face they act as if this is a fair sentence, it makes me laugh. Look, I don’t give a damn about idiot OJ. However, our so called justice system is not built on pay back. Like I said in my earlier post their are a lot of people waiting for justice after their love ones where tortured and murdered just for being black. This is what bothers me about this case.
December 6th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Sistah Michelle, i know your, and many others here, heart is in the right place. When righteous thinking people seek to exist in a just system, they rightfully question the unjustness that is there.
But peep this…the whole Western Judicial shitstym, including that of Westminster, common law and mission statements of the American corporation, are geared ONLY for the king of England in support of the Vatican. Many of the ill named “founding fathers”, were agents of the wealthy European bankers, fighting to overthrow the oligarchy of the Pope ( with the king/politicians as his servant boy) and set up their own.
This is why the image of Lady liberty, once an ode to the African woman (check it out) is now seen as some blind, crack head bitch, with the funky stench of strange fruits creeping up from under her dress. Just-us in America Inc., nay, the western world, is rotten to the core. We either need to bring it down (which is a heavy and toll taking task, if you know what I mean) or flee Babylon before the shit crashes down on us!
Peace
December 7th, 2008 at 12:43 am
First and foremost, great post. I couldn’t agree with you more. This has been a long appeal process and Joey Porter brought attention to it a couple of weeks ago and still nothing has been done. I can’t believe the Jaguars haven’t suspended him and who is his lawyer because it’s obvious that every other player in the NFL need to reach out to Matt Jones’ attorney because he will keep you on the field collecting a check.
December 7th, 2008 at 1:43 am
That sounds pretty grim. We have to find a way as humans to get along. To treat and be treated the same by all. Maybe I’m just dreaming.
December 7th, 2008 at 3:32 am
Sorry sis, even grimmer is how they prepare for the “final beat down (genocide) by destroying our images, making African people, poor people, women, “foreigners” etc., in a demonic way.
See, Nazi Germany, Mao’s long march, Stalin’s extermination, Khumer Rouge and the African holocaust (Ma’afa) to name just a few, was not that long ago.,
December 8th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
First of all: Thanks for the love yall…
Wow…so I see people haven’t forgotten…I host a radio show and I bring up this issue every week simply because of the fact that people have blatantly ignored it, yet Vick and OJ and Plax are still talked about incessantly.
Honestly, I didn’t know tons of issues would sprout from this one post. But this is very healthy. Very healthy. In order for change to come, knowldege must precede it. And some serious knowledge has been dropped.
I think there are many barriers as Blacks that we have re-acted to, instead of truly building. We have been in a reactionary mindset for a LONG time now. I’d LOVE to see pro-action now. In sports, in personal lives, in child-raising…I’d love to see us force a reaction…
True change shows forth on the inside first…
Don’t lose me yall…
December 8th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
You’ve been saying that for awhile, but I doubt that very highly with respect to coaches. Tomlin is not going to get fired in 2 years, period. It’s simply not going to happen. The only way that team falls apart would be catastrophic injury. I can’t speak for anyone else with respect to retirement or firing.
The QB situation would essentially call for much less. If McNabb retired; Del Rio was fired and a new coach replaced Garrard; Daunte gets cut or re-retires; JaMarcus fades to Silver and Black; and Campbell was benched, that would do it. That’s not entirely inconceivable. I don’t see “that dude” on the horizon in college either. Terrelle Pryor won’t be an NFL starter in 2 years. To me, the hardest player to unseat will be Campbell. He has a cannon arm. He is very, very accurate and was a very high draft pick. Young’s status, while lofty, was predicated on something other than passing accuracy and Campbell has already survived the Brunell Years.
It’s slim pickings right now, but these things turn around very quickly. The Steelers had 3 Black QBs behind Ben for a minute — Leftwich, Batch and Dennis Dixon. So, I don’t think 2010 will be Zero, but it’s not far-fetched in the least.
December 8th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
There has been a steady ‘pushback’ by the mainstream sports media in regards to African-American QBs and black head coaches.
I wish Mike Tomlin the best, but he may be another potential early playoff exit this year along with a 5-11 anomaly the following year and he could be shown the door. The level of tolerance for African-Americans in high profile sports positions is unstable and subject to sudden change and vigorous debate on sports-radio and/or ESPN.
Tomlin is a plainspoken guy and if he gets in a media war of words, he could become a ‘quick casualty’ not to be heard from again as a head coach i.e. Denny Green .
Vick was on top of the world, but within six months filing for bankruptcy and serving a jail sentence for a crime normally a state offense and misdemeanor. Vince Young on top of the world after a 8-8 rookie season and 10-6 second season. However, in a matter of months, he is seen as unstable wants to kill himself with his NFL career in temporary limbo. Plax Burress had winning catch in Super Bowl, but within 10 months, he could be in jail for a prolonged period of time.
Plax. Vick. Vince. They didn’t have criminal records and deemed as decent guys, but their worlds were turned upside down in an instant.
Mike Tomlin, who is 35, is not exempt from being a media-driven coaching casualty.
And I just don’t see any new African-American ‘new hires’ by current ownership in the immediate future. San Francisco’s Mike Singletary and Tomlin may be the last for awhile. That’s just my opinion.
December 8th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Not going out like that. Check the pedigree. Dungy and Herman, for all that they do, don’t do the media war of words. Tomlin won’t either. It’s not like he’s coaching the Bengals or some franchise that lacks stability.
Denny Green rolled the dice on resurrecting his career by going to Arizona. They say the last time the Cardinals hosted a playoff game (how hard is that?), Jackie Robinson was the Rookie of the Year. Are you kidding? No comparison there.
Tomlin actually is fairly except. The media can’t run coaches out of cities with recent Super Bowl victories. It never happens — even after winning coaches retire — the successor gets the benefit of the doubt until the team loses on a consistent basis.
Once a team wins a Super Bowl, it usually takes at least 6 or 7 years for folks to even start grumbling. Look around the league. It’s not as if that team is going to go 5-11 unless Ben gets on that damn bike again. With Pittsburgh, a team that has had all of 3 coaches since you were knee high to a June bug, a radical coaching change is simply not in the offing. Sorry. And the media don’t fuck with EVERY team…only teams where ownership says its okay.
Plaxico is still deemed to be a decent guy. I think you’re overreaching. If there weren’t problems to begin with, he’d never have caught a single pass for the Giants. The Giants didn’t draft him and teams rarely dispose of 25 yeard old franchise receivers who are 6′5″ and 235 pounds — and capable of man-handling every DB in the league. The Steelers let him go. I didn’t like the decision at the time. I still don’t, but I understand it from a business perspective. Plaxico’s career is not over.
You make it sound like the media shot him in the leg.
The media is a mess — that’s a given, but it’s funny how they don’t have shit on Derrick Brooks and Warrick Dunn. In a world surrounded by enemies, only a fool provides cannon fodder before walking directly in front of the cannon. Who are we to be surprised when an occasional butt cheek gets shot off. I hear what you’re saying, but Plaxico should still be in Pittsburgh — and none of what happened there ever became a big story with the national media. The media does not jump down everyone’s throat — only the unprotected.
It happens all the time especially when teams want to have an edge in contract negotiations (LJ Smith), etc. The game is very serious, but some folks (even us Black folk) are actually in better spots than others. See ya in 2011.
December 8th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Where are the white criminals? They’re out there. They just have the complexion for the protection. That’s why Goodell can overlook Cokehead Jones (pisses me off that we share the same name) but aim justice at cats like Pacman and Vick like a cannon.
December 8th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
“I sincerely do wish a Muhammad Ali would stand up in this day in age. I sincerely do. Especially one of LeBron’s stature…”
Sorry, T-time. Ain’t gonna happen. Too much to lose. Hate to paraphrase Rick Pitino, but another Ali (or Jim Brown or Kareem or Arthur Ashe) ain’t walking through that door.
December 8th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
“The country is falling apart because of greedy white men and all the media can talk about today is OJ. The hypocrisy is ridiculous. Wrong is wrong. I didn’t see the government spending time and money trying to bring these evil men to justice. Where is the justice? Hell if I know.”
Michelle, that’s nothing. Forget MSM. They do what they always do. They’re not gonna see the big picture even at gunpoint. You should have seen Bloomberg get on his high horse to chastise Plaxico. Was he stupid for doing what he did? Sure. But last I looked, he didn’t wipe out anyone’s 401(k). But Bloomberg put his foot in Plaxico’s behind and ignored the CEO’s. Don’t get it twisted. There was no risk in piling on an idiot black athlete. But he’s not gonna put his cronies on blast. They could turn around down the line and make him pay for it.
December 8th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Patrick,
Did a Google search on dogfighting. Turns out Idaho and Wyoming are the only states in the country where dogfighting is a misdemeanor. But MSM didn’t wanna say anything. Might’ve added a little context to they story. ESPN just kept looping the clip of Vick’s perp walk in his grey suit.
BTW, his “friends” needs to be ashamed. They lined up and sung on his behind like Luther.
December 8th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Let Brett Favre EVER get caught dogfighting. That story will get buried right next to Jimmy Hoffa with the quickness. Brownnosers Berman and Madden’ll see to it.
December 8th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
“From Bob Ley to Colin Cowherd to Trey Wingo and Steve Levy, they make their money off the foibles of the black athlete…”
Patrick,
It’d be nice if Stuart Scott grows a pair and some integrity and put ESPN in check privately and publicly for how they cover how black and white athletes screw up (I know, another pipe dream). But I guess he has no opinion as long as the checks clear.
December 9th, 2008 at 4:47 am
….”The media is a mess — that’s a given, but it’s funny how they don’t have shit on Derrick Brooks and Warrick Dunn”….
Temple,
The media doesn’t need to have s*** on everybody, just on a few selected players/personalities who can garner the most ad revenue and shock revenue for ESPN/ESPN radio which fills their 24 hour programming.
Good cop, bad cop journalism.
One melodrama at a time. The O.J. case took a couple of years, then we have Ray Lewis for a couple of months, Ray Carruth for a year, the McNabb-Owens saga, the Culpepper Love Boat scandal, the Vick dogfighting case and the Plax gun case..
December 9th, 2008 at 5:22 am
…..”BTW, his “friends” needs to be ashamed. They lined up and sung on his behind like Luther….”
Matthew,
Vick had some bad ‘friends’ and should have cut them loose or try to distance himself sooner. There was once incident shortly before Vick got his BIG contract in 2004. I believe it was Quanis Phillips (a childhood friend) who was caught on an airport surveillance tape taking an airport screener’s ROLEX WATCH. Vick didn’t know about it until he received a call a few days later and then the media found out about it. On camera, it showed Vick and his children passing through the screening area and then few seconds later, Quanis was seen casually picking up a watch THAT WASN’T IS… Vick could have bought Quanis MANY watches, but he felt compelled to take something that wasn’t his– and BEHIND VICK’S BACK…Vick took the blame for it and it was really the beginning of the end…
So when this dogfighting situation had gone down, I questioned whether Vick knew what was happening on that Virginia property. Vick lived in Atlanta and was going through Falcon mini-camps. So its conceivable that stuff was going down in Virginia that he didn’t know about until it was too late, but with the house in his name..it became guilt by association… His cousin Davon Boddie, who some say was a snitch, had prior run-ins with the law on drug charges and was a primary participant in the dogfighting ring.
Shortly before Vick plead guilty in late August, Vick’s mom in a Washington Post article accused Vick’s estranged father of trying to extort money from his own son..and the dad had told the Atlanta Journal Constitution back in 2007 that he may write a book about Vick after his son gets out jail…(the AJC and ESPN would LOVE THAT..) Some of the information in the indictment was mostly a narrative of alleged recollections from 2001 and I believe the father supplied some of the information to the Feds in an effort to help his paternal nephew Davon Boddie be spared… and actually Boddie wasn’t part of that indictment even though this Vick saga started with Boddie getting arrested.
December 9th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
From where I’m sitting, the root of the problem is that these young men have what Min. Farrakhan refers to as “a woeful lack of knowledge.” The knowledge of self is essential for safety and sanity in a world of vultures. The media is not different from other mechanisms of white supremacy because they all operate under the same coherent value system. Abstracting the media out of the larger continuum is pointless.
The men are the products of general information and organization systems which are antithetical to their proper development. Whether we’re talking about media, schools, religious institutions, medical care, housing, nutrition, or criminal justice, there is a continuity across the board. At some point, a man has to either submit to the truth of his life or relive the nigthmare. Choices abound.
The media doesn’t have to shit on everyone because its part of a larger system that does actually shit on everyone. If the media doesn’t get you, the real estate developers will by usurping your property rights and “buying you out” for pennies on the dollar. If the real estate developers don’t get you, the schools will get by systematically undereducating your children with a caste of mediocre white and female “teachers” who know next to nothing about nothing. If the schools don’t get you, the “streets” will with surreptituous and selective policing of “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
It’s not about the media. It’s about the man. Brooks and Dunn (no pun intended) are AWAKE. Burress and others have to wake up. Just because one is asleep does not mean the seige is over. The melodrama carried forth by the media requires consumers of this garbage to wake up as well as the players. The purpose of assailing your humanity is to undermine your resolve for collective action. You can no more build a prosperous and viable future with a comatose and ignorant millionaire than you can with your enemies.
The media needs to be put in its place. For people who choose to actively ignore mainstream media (a full-time job) and spend time proactively building solutions to many challenging issues, the media treatment of Plaxico Burress and others is not an event. Reacting to it is akin to closing the barn door after the horse has become the next bottle of Elmer’s Glue.
The problem, at root, is a coordinated and systemic approach to dehumanizing Black people from the womb to the tomb. Televised perp walks are symptoms of a sickness that began centuries ago. So, the media doesn’t need to shit on everyone because they’re not alone. They are just one aspect of a unified approach. That our sleeping brethren have missed this point is problematic, but it is what it is. The media is operating like a virus. It’s purpose is to infect, replicate and destroy — just like the schools, churches, universities, police departments, and other practitioners of this shared value system. Burress’ problems started long before he became a media sensation…same for OJ…same for Jack Johnson.
Until they and we understand how we came to be who and where we are, we’ll be like so many Don Quijote’s waging war against the wind mills of our misunderstanding. Attack the root causes — not the symptom.
December 9th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Amen, Temple.
December 9th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
I have already said my peace on this various times, I think there is a media double standard even in the age of Obamania when it comes to Black Althletes and their coverage, and unless Black Althletes and the larger Black Community calls out the majority white media’s biases in all it’s forms then you never will hear the other side of the argument. I have read articles that Blacks were more homophobic, sexist, anti-parent and racist and these people present stats to butress their arguments without challenge by independent Black spokespeople not connected by the media. The only media sources I go to now is BAR and other Black Progressive blogs which refutes these people.
I would go on YouTube and listen to what Sam Greenlee (writer/producer) of “Spook who By the Door” says about modern Black life and the need to create our own institutions instead of depending on PWI to do the right thing and challenge the media and their so-called intellectuals black, white or otherwise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3lq2XI0egs
December 10th, 2008 at 12:47 am
Suspension was upheld today. Why did it take so long? Felony cocaine? Incredible.
December 10th, 2008 at 7:21 am
Couldn’t agree more brotha eric.
Yeah Mizzo all freaking season and they wait till the last 3 games to suspend Young Jezzy………..ummm I mean Matt cutting that white girl with a visa card jones.
What a joke.
So does this mean that the OL on the pats will be suspended next???
I better not hold my breath waiting for that answer.
December 10th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Nah, origin…..don’t hold ya breath bruh.
December 10th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
The Jaguars shouldn’t be absolved in the Matty Jones case. They could have suspended Matty themselves. My guess is they wanted to see if he was worth keeping another year and see if he could help them make the playoffs, so they never made an issue out of it. Now that a playoff shot is out of the question, Jones is kicked to the curb. And I thought only baseball players could stave off suspensions for over half a season.
I’ve been surprised that no one has tried to spin Kaczur turning drug informant as him doing his patriotic duty. Origin, no way possible you could hold your breath long enough for the league to suspend him.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
The Jags season is over. What is this crap? Brothers need to step up and say something. Stop taking the house negro approach to this sh.. This is nonsense. Athletes need to realize they have control since they are the product. Without them there wouldn’t be a quality NFL, NBA etc. After all without the brothers, who would be the leagues star wide receiver …..Matt Jones????? Black folks need to support one another in this madness. Where is the outrage from the people of color in the media? Or are they all dancing for the master to?
December 10th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
michelle -
unfortunately, most of them are. They want to get to the big show! (ESPN) and just show that they can defame black folk just as well as their white colleagues. As for the players, I have no idea why they’ve never just decided to use some of their weight.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
The hypocrisy is so blatant, you almost can’t even be mad. Just shaking my head. Too many field negros (I mean brothers) cashing checks and keeping quiet, in the media and on the fields/courts of play. But as LZ Granderson said in an ESPN article about MJ, “But black-on-black crime isn’t just action. Sometimes it’s inaction, and to paraphrase Dr. King, one day we’re going to have to repent for it.”
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=granderson/070702
December 10th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Guys I agree. It’s been said, what is wealth when you’ve lost your soul. A lot of brothers have lost their souls for the love of money. Brother Malcolm and many others who gave their lives for what they believed in are rolling in their graves right now. It’s just sad. NOOOOOOOOOO street cred all who are silent are straight up PUNK, HOUSE NEGROS!!!!!
December 10th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Only thing missing is Goodell saying, “Ah cain’t let these nigras run a-loose.”
December 10th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Matthew Fudge,
LOL, Where is Dave Chappelle when we need him? I’m in rare form today yall. I had a colored people moment at the mall. I’m tired of this sh.. The ass missed out on some good commission. Oh well!
December 10th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Gotta laugh to keep from slapping the sh.. out of an idiot sometimes.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Dave Chappelle and Ralph Wiley.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
To segue to another point, I got a bad feeling there’s gonna be another Plaxico/Sean Taylor situation. Too few jobs, cost of living is high, food prices are high, as well as jealousy. There’s gonna be another black athlete flossin’ in front of the wrong broke dude at a club or wherever, then all hell will break loose.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Matthew Fudge,
I hope not but I can see that coming. People are having a hard time. Folks are losing their jobs daily. It’s a sad time for many.
December 11th, 2008 at 1:11 am
I have to agree matthew. But I don’t even think it will be some brotha flossing.
I think these punk @ss h*&s in the media will mention some kat signing a big @ss contract and harp on that for like a week. Hating and sh&^!!
Then kats will be just looking to scope out his crib or follow his family home one day. Shoot its easy as heck to find out info on these players. From their kids to their wifes to how much they make. Where they live and what they drive. Its too much info out there.
Think about this I can find more info on a bench warmer in the NFL then on a fool like Chris Berman who has been on TV for 30 years.
Its just a matter of time…………America is like Brazil, Columbia and Russia. Where athletes and entertainers are easy prey for criminals.
Thats what happens when you live in a country of haves and have nots.
Then ontop of that as a criminal why should you have any fear. The media will claim its the players fault if they are robbed or killed. Its a good chance they won’t report it and to top it off no new laws will be passed if you happen to harm them.
December 11th, 2008 at 1:13 am
But anyway I have lost hope in these kneegrows in the MSM.
These boot lickers are half a million dollar slaves.
Then have the nerve to talk about these players issus. Please they have just as many issues. Except it isn’t reported.
December 11th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
These athletes would be PERFECTLY SAFE if they lived in and amongst their people and aggregated their considerable wealth to the ownership of land, building of institutions, creation of jobs for youth, technology education for single mothers, service delivery for seniors, daycare for babies and jail-to-work programs for incarcerated men.
Occasional charity is no safety net. It’s good, but no guarantee. That’s why Stephon Marbury will not be getting robbed in New York any time soon. It won’t be happening to Derrick Brooks in Florida or Warrick Dunn in New Orleans. Nope — they’re as safe as can be because word of their deeds has traveled far and wide to the ears of those who need to hear it most.
Of course there are no ironclad guarantees. Anything can happen — anywhere. But service-based grounding in community is the best protection for you and that community. Perfect example — my uncle passed away a couple of months ago and lived a life of service in Brooklyn. News of his deeds traveled far and wide and he and his family were basically teflon in the heart of Brownsville for four decades. Upon his passing, a friend of a cousin decided to help himself to a few things. Word spread so quickly among the punishers, finishers and closers in the community that this person (who was new to the community and didn’t know the legacy — always a potential problem) rushed to make amends. Sometimes legacy cannot prevent, but it can restore.
I’d encourage brothers with serious loot to make an investment in their own security and legacy that will bring forth a much larger return than some fly-by-night restaurant, a shake-that-ass night club or a can’t miss investment in Dubai. The keys to our liberation are in our hands — it’s the mind and the eyes that don’t seem to be working so well right now.